Backup and disaster recovery planning
Backup and disaster recovery support for UK small businesses, including restore checks, Microsoft 365 backup responsibilities and recovery planning.
What this service covers
A sensible backup and disaster-recovery plan starts with business priorities: the data that matters, how much loss is acceptable and how quickly the business needs key systems back.
A backup is only useful if it protects the systems and data the business relies on today. Review what is covered, how often it is copied, who can restore it and whether the protection still fits the way your team works.
Keep at least three copies of important data, on two different types of storage, with one copy kept off-site or isolated from the main environment. It is a practical starting point for reducing the impact of hardware failure, accidental deletion, ransomware or a site problem.
Ask what happens if staff cannot access email, files, customer information, finance systems or line-of-business software. The answer helps identify which systems need the quickest recovery and what temporary workarounds are realistic.
Microsoft 365 is resilient, but businesses still need to understand data retention, accidental deletion, account compromise and third-party backup options where appropriate.
Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) define the maximum amount of data the business can afford to lose, measured in time. Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) define how quickly important systems need to be available again. These targets should be agreed for each service, then tested against the backup and recovery plan.
Questions businesses ask
Often, yes. Retention and recovery features are useful, but they are not the same as a clear business backup and restore plan.
Backups should be reviewed regularly and tested whenever systems, suppliers, users or risks change.
It should cover priority systems, recovery contacts, backup locations, restore steps, account access and customer communication if needed.
IT Life-Raft