The Plain English Version

A backup strategy is your plan for copying and storing your data so you can recover it if something goes wrong. Hardware fails, ransomware encrypts files, people accidentally delete things - backups are your safety net.

The key question is not whether you have backups, but whether you can actually restore from them when you need to.

The 3-2-1 Rule

3 copies of your data (production plus two backups)

2 different media types (e.g. local disk and cloud)

1 copy offsite (protected from local disasters)

For ransomware protection, add: 1 copy offline or immutable.

Why Backups Fail When Needed

  • Never tested - Backups ran but nobody verified they could restore
  • Ransomware reached them - Online backups got encrypted too
  • Too old - Only weekly backups means losing a week of work
  • Incomplete - Critical data was not included
  • No documentation - Nobody knows the restore process

What to Back Up

Everything you cannot easily recreate: business documents, databases, email, financial records, customer data, configurations, and anything unique to your business. Do not forget cloud services - Microsoft 365 has limited native retention.

Testing Is Non-Negotiable

Schedule regular restore tests. Actually recover files and verify they work. Time how long full recovery takes - this determines your realistic recovery time. A backup that has never been tested is just a hope.