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Backup and recovery

We design backups and retention around the systems in scope and test restores end to end, recording how long each critical system takes to come back. Step-by-step recovery procedures cover each critical scenario.

Describe what you need

What you get

  • A priority and dependency map: which systems come back first, and in which order
  • A backup design and retention strategy for each system in scope: what is backed up, how often, where and for how long
  • A restore test report for each critical system, with the time each restore took
  • Step-by-step recovery procedures for real scenarios
  • Checks that confirm backups run and can be read back

How it works

  1. 01

    Map priorities and dependencies

    We list the systems in scope, what each one depends on and the order in which they have to come back.

  2. 02

    Design backups and retention

    For each system we set what is backed up, how often and where, and how long copies are kept, balancing recovery needs, cost and compliance.

  3. 03

    Test restores

    Restores are performed end to end for each critical system, and the time each one takes is recorded.

  4. 04

    Write recovery procedures

    We write step-by-step procedures for real scenarios, for someone working under pressure.

  5. 05

    Monitor and hand over

    Checks confirm that backups run and can be read back, and the procedures and documentation are handed over to your team.

Problems it solves

  • ProblemBackup jobs report success, but no restore has been tried, so nobody knows whether the data comes back.

    SolutionWe restore each critical system end to end at least once, and set up checks that confirm new backups run and can be read back.

  • ProblemNobody knows whether a restore takes hours or days, so the business cannot plan for an outage.

    SolutionRestore tests record how long each restore takes, so the recovery time and the restore order are known before an incident and can be shared with the business.

  • ProblemA restored application will not start because a configuration file, a certificate or a dependent system was left out.

    SolutionWe record what each system depends on and what has to come back first, for example the database before the application.

  • ProblemOnly one person knows how to restore the production database, so recovery stalls whenever they are away.

    SolutionWe write step-by-step recovery procedures for each critical scenario, for someone working under pressure. Your team gets them at handover, so a restore does not depend on one person.

What it covers

  • For exampleRestic, Borg
  • For exampleVelero
  • For exampleAzure Backup, AWS Backup
  • Snapshot strategies
  • Managed database backups
  • Backups to object storage
  • Off-site replication
  • Immutable backup copies
  • Retention strategy per system
  • Timed end-to-end restore tests
Typical scope

Typical engagements run 2–6 weeks, depending on how many systems are in scope, how mature the backups are, and whether an existing design is validated or replaced.

Next step

Send a short description of what you need and the systems involved. We reply with proposed next steps.

Describe what you need