Is your business really backed up?

Ask most business owners whether their data is backed up and the answer is “yes, I think so”. The trouble is that a backup is only proven the day you need it. That’s usually the worst possible day: a laptop is stolen, a server dies, or ransomware locks every file in the office.

Good backups aren’t complicated or expensive. They follow a simple rule, they run on their own, and someone checks that they actually work. Here’s the approach we use for our own systems and for our clients, in plain English.

The 3-2-1 rule, in plain English

The gold standard for backups fits in three numbers:

• 3 copies of your data. The original, plus two backups.
• 2 different kinds of storage. For example, a backup device in the office and cloud storage, so one fault can’t take out both.
• 1 copy somewhere else. If the office floods, burns or is broken into, the backup in the cupboard goes with it. One copy must live offsite.

Here’s how your data moves through that setup every day:

Where your backups go

1. Your files Computers, servers and shared folders
2. Quick undo copies Taken every hour, kept for a few days
3. Nightly backup A full copy on a separate device in the office
4. Offsite copy Encrypted and sent to secure cloud storage

How we set it up

Each layer does a different job, so each one protects you from a different kind of bad day.

The undo button. Every hour, the storage takes a quick snapshot of your files and keeps it for a few days. If someone deletes the wrong folder or saves over an important spreadsheet, it can be brought back in minutes. These snapshots aren’t a real backup, because they live on the same storage as the files. But they’re the fastest fix for everyday mistakes.

The nightly backup. Every night, a full copy of your computers, servers and shared folders goes to a separate device. If a server dies or a laptop’s drive fails, this is what we restore from. Older copies are kept for a set period and then tidied away automatically, so storage doesn’t fill up.

The offsite copy. After the nightly backup finishes, the new and changed data is encrypted and sent to secure cloud storage. Only the changes go up each night, so it doesn’t hog your internet connection. This is the copy that survives a fire, a flood or a break-in.

Extra copies for what matters most. Some systems deserve more than one route. For one retail client, the shop’s main database is backed up at the shop every night, copied securely to us, and then sent offsite. A photographer client’s archive of shoots is kept on central storage, copied to a second machine and stored offsite as well.

Beyond 3-2-1: what makes a backup trustworthy

Having three copies is the start. These are the things that turn “we have backups” into “we can get our business back”:

• Test the restores. A backup you’ve never restored from is a guess. Pick a file, a folder or a whole computer every so often and actually bring it back.
• Know when a backup fails. Backups break quietly: a full drive, a changed password, a device that was switched off. Someone should get an alert when last night’s backup didn’t run, not find out months later.
• Don’t depend on a PC being switched on. A backup that only runs if someone’s computer happens to be on will miss nights. Critical backups should run on equipment that’s always on.
• Keep the chain short. Every extra step between your data and its offsite copy is another thing that can break. Fewer moving parts means fewer surprises.
• Protect against ransomware. Ransomware tries to encrypt your backups too. At least one copy should be out of its reach, kept offsite and locked so it can’t be changed or deleted for a set period.
• Encrypt before it leaves the building. Your offsite copy should be scrambled before it’s uploaded, so the cloud provider (or anyone who gets in) only ever sees unreadable data.
• Restoring shouldn’t cost a fortune. Some cloud storage charges you to download your own data. Choose a service where getting your files back in an emergency doesn’t come with a surprise bill.
• Microsoft 365 isn’t a backup. Microsoft keeps your email and files running, but deleted items are only kept for a limited time. If your business lives in Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint, it needs its own backup too.

Five questions to ask about your backups

You don’t need to understand the technology to check whether you’re covered. Ask whoever looks after your IT:

1. Where are our copies? You should hear at least two places, and one of them should be outside the office.
2. When did we last restore something from a backup? “Never” is the answer to worry about.
3. How would we know if last night’s backup failed? There should be an alert, not a hope.
4. Could ransomware reach every copy? At least one copy should be locked away where it can’t.
5. Is our email and Microsoft 365 data backed up separately? If not, a deleted mailbox or folder may be gone for good.

If any of those answers made you pause, it’s worth fixing now, while it’s cheap and calm, rather than after something goes wrong.

Not sure where you stand?

We’ll check your current backups for you: what’s being copied, where it goes, whether it’s working and whether you could actually restore it. You’ll get a plain-language answer and, if something’s missing, a clear plan to fix it.

Book a backup check or read more about our device management and security services.