service 03 of 06
Backups you have actually restored from.
A backup nobody has tested is a hope, not a plan. Every quarter we pick real files and a whole machine, restore them, time it, and send you the log.
The 3-2-1 rule, explained once
Keep 3 copies of anything you care about, on 2 different kinds of storage, with 1 of them somewhere else entirely. A fire, a stolen laptop or ransomware can take out one copy. It has a much harder time taking out all three.
For a typical office that means the live files, a local storage box in your closet for fast restores, and an encrypted copy in a data centre out of state that nobody in your office can delete, including us by accident.
A real looking restore test
This is the shape of the report you get each quarter. Sample numbers, real format.
Picked 25 random files from the shared drive, oldest from 2019. All 25 restored and opened. [ OK ] 4 min
Restored one deleted mailbox folder, 1,140 messages, to a test account. [ OK ] 11 min
Rebuilt the front desk PC from last night's image onto spare hardware. Booted, logged in, printer worked. [ OK ] 52 min
Pulled a 40 GB folder from the offsite copy only. Slower, as expected. [ OK ] 38 min
Recovery time targets
How long until you are working again, written into the agreement. These assume the local box survived. If it did not, add a few hours for the offsite pull.
| what broke | back in |
|---|---|
| A deleted file or folder | 30 min |
| One dead laptop, spare on hand | 2 hours |
| The office server | 4 hours |
| Whole office after ransomware | 1 business day |
- small office, up to 500 GB$150 / mo
- with a server, up to 2 TB$350 / mo
- multi site or imaging heavyup to $600 / mo
Backup sits nicely next to cybersecurity and cloud email, since cloud mail needs its own backup too. Ask us what yours would cost.