Backup and Restoration Testing
Backups are scheduled, then proved: restored into a separate environment on a rhythm you agree, so how much data and time a real failure would cost you is a demonstrated fact rather than a hope.
Why a 'Successful' Backup Job Is Not Proof
- The job reports success every night, so nobody has looked further in months or years
- Nobody has actually opened the backup file to confirm it contains what it should
- The only copy sits on the same machine, or the same site, as the data it backs up
- A restore has never been attempted, so nobody knows how long one would actually take
Schedule, Retention and Where Copies Live
Backup Schedule and Retention Design
Databases and files backed up on a defined schedule, with how long each copy is kept matched to how far back you might need to recover.
Off-Site and Cross-Region Copies
Copies stored away from the system they came from, so the same failure cannot take out the data and its backup together.
Proving It Works
Periodic Restore Drills
A scheduled restore into an isolated environment, with completeness and timing checked and recorded.
Retention Matched to Your Obligations
Retention periods set to match any record-keeping requirement your business carries, rather than a generic default.
How Often a Drill Actually Happens
The right frequency depends on how often the data changes and how critical it is: a production database taking orders every minute needs a different rhythm from a records archive that changes rarely. We recommend a schedule once we understand your data, and increase it if the drill record shows it should.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need drills if our backup job has never failed?
A job that reports success confirms the backup process ran, not that the resulting copy can actually be restored into a working system. Drills are what turn that assumption into a number you can quote — how much data and time a real failure would cost.
What drives the cost of this service?
How much data must be backed up and retained, how many separate systems are in scope, and how often you want restores actually rehearsed rather than only configured.
What drives the timeline for the first restore drill?
Mainly the size of the data being restored and whether a suitable isolated environment already exists to restore into, or needs to be created first.
How often should a restore actually be tested?
It depends on how critical the data is and how often it changes. A frequently updated production database usually warrants more regular drills than an archive that rarely changes; we recommend a schedule once we understand your data and risk tolerance.
Does this cover ransomware or accidental deletion, not just hardware failure?
Yes, provided backups are retained for long enough and kept isolated from live systems that a compromise cannot also destroy the backup copies, which is part of how we design the retention and storage.
Who owns the backup copies and the restore records?
You do. Backup storage is created in your own cloud account, and every drill result is recorded and handed to you, not kept only in our own records.
What do you need from us to set this up?
Access to the systems and data to be backed up, any record-retention obligation your business must meet, and agreement on how often you want a restore actually rehearsed.
Tell us what you need.
Send a short brief and one of our engineers will come back to you — usually the same day.
- No obligation
- We reply the same working day
- Your details stay private