What a Backup Does
A backup protects recoverable information. Depending on the system, it may include:
- Files
- Databases
- Application data
- System configuration
- Virtual machines
- Device state
- Cloud workloads
- Website content
Backups can help after accidental deletion, file corruption, hardware failure, ransomware, malicious deletion, a failed update, or a system configuration error.
A backup strategy should define:
- What is protected
- How often backups occur
- How long recovery points are retained
- Where backups are stored
- Who can access or delete them
- How backups are monitored
- How restoration is performed
- How restoration is tested
Microsoft describes Azure Backup as a service for backing up data and recovering it from the Azure cloud. Microsoft also emphasizes protecting the backup environment itself, including data in transit, data at rest, and administrative access.
What Disaster Recovery Does
Disaster recovery addresses the larger question: How will the organization restore critical technology and continue operating after a major disruption?
A disaster-recovery plan may cover:
- System restoration
- Alternate infrastructure
- Service failover
- Network recovery
- Replacement equipment
- Application dependencies
- Vendor coordination
- Communication
- Decision authority
- Temporary manual processes
- Return to normal operations
Microsoft Azure Site Recovery, for example, supports replication, failover, and failback for certain virtual-machine and server scenarios. The important concept is not the specific product — it is that disaster recovery coordinates a working recovery process, rather than only storing copies of data.
Business Continuity Is Broader Still
Business continuity considers how essential work continues while technology is unavailable or being restored. That may involve:
- Alternate communication methods
- Temporary work locations
- Manual procedures
- Priority services
- Emergency leadership roles
- Staff and client communication
- Vendor escalation
- Financial-authority procedures
- Safety and facilities planning
A disaster-recovery plan supports business continuity, but technology restoration is only one part of keeping the organization operating.
Define Recovery Priorities
Not every system must be restored at the same speed. Identify:
- Which services are essential
- Which systems those services depend on
- Which information must be available
- How long each service can remain unavailable
- How much recent data the organization can afford to lose
- Which vendors or employees are required for recovery
Two common planning concepts are:
- Recovery Time Objective — The target amount of time allowed to restore a service after disruption.
- Recovery Point Objective — The maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time.
A system with a short recovery-time requirement may need more than a nightly backup. A system with a very low tolerance for data loss may need frequent backup or replication. Recovery objectives should be based on operational need, not chosen only because a product advertises a particular capability.
Understand Dependencies
A restored application may still be unusable if its dependencies are unavailable. Dependencies can include:
- Identity services
- Internet connectivity
- DNS
- Network equipment
- Cloud access
- Databases
- File storage
- Encryption keys
- Vendor services
- Administrator credentials
- Replacement hardware
- Documentation
Map the systems people need to complete essential work. This helps the organization avoid restoring one component while overlooking everything required to make it useful.
Protect the Backups
Backups are valuable targets. Attackers may attempt to encrypt or delete backups before disrupting production systems. Use protections such as:
- Separate administrative access
- Multifactor authentication
- Restricted deletion rights
- Immutable or protected recovery points where appropriate
- Separate storage locations
- Encryption
- Monitoring and alerts
- Documented emergency access
- Retention that covers more than the most recent copy
A synchronized folder is not automatically a complete backup. If deletion, corruption, or ransomware is synchronized to every copy, the organization may not have a clean recovery point.
Test Recovery
Successful backup notifications do not prove that the organization can recover. Testing should confirm:
- The backup exists
- The backup contains the expected data
- Authorized people can access it
- Restoration steps are documented
- Credentials are available
- Recovery can occur within the required time
- Restored systems work with their dependencies
- Staff know what to do after restoration
- Problems discovered during testing are corrected
Microsoft states that its own business-continuity and disaster-recovery plans are tested, reviewed, and updated. Organizations should apply the same basic principle at an appropriate scale.
Create a Practical Recovery Plan
A basic plan should include:
- Essential services and systems
- Recovery priorities
- Recovery-time and recovery-point objectives
- Backup locations and retention
- Responsible people
- Vendor contacts
- Administrator and emergency-access procedures
- Restoration steps
- Communication procedures
- Alternate work methods
- Testing schedule
- Review and update schedule
Store the plan somewhere accessible during the type of outage it is intended to address. A recovery plan stored only inside the unavailable system may not be useful.
You Need the Copy and the Plan
Backup answers: Can we recover the information?
Disaster recovery answers: Can we restore the technology service?
Business continuity answers: Can the organization keep doing its essential work?
Strong preparation addresses all three. The goal is not to predict every possible disaster. It is to know what matters most, protect it appropriately, assign responsibility, and practice the steps required to recover.
Where to Go Next
Backup design, recovery testing and continuity planning are part of our managed technology services for organizations that cannot afford long outages.
Recovery is the last line, not the first. Cybersecurity Foundations for Small Organizations covers what keeps you from needing it, and Microsoft 365 for Nonprofits covers what is and is not protected inside the platform itself.
Common Questions
What is the difference between backup and disaster recovery?
A backup is a copy of data. Disaster recovery is the tested plan and capability to restore systems and resume operations within a timeframe the organization can tolerate.
How often should backups be tested?
On a defined schedule, not after an incident. A restore that has never been performed is an assumption rather than a capability.
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