Identify critical systems and data. Not every file requires the same recovery speed. Payment, scheduling, customer, and accounting systems may need faster restoration than archived marketing materials.
Define how often each system is backed up. The schedule should reflect how much data the company can afford to lose.
At least one backup should be isolated from the primary environment. If the same credentials can delete both live data and backups, ransomware or account compromise may affect both.
Encryption and access control are essential because backups often contain the same sensitive information as production systems.
Testing is the difference between a backup and a recovery capability. Periodically restore sample files and, when practical, test recovery of an entire system.
Assign responsibilities. Employees need to know who contacts technology providers, who authorizes restoration, and how the business will communicate during an outage.
Recovery priorities should be documented. The business may need a temporary process for taking orders or recording transactions while systems are restored.
Review the plan whenever the company adopts new software, changes vendors, opens a location, or stores a new category of information.
Eric Kuvykin
Publisher and editorial director covering payments, fintech, merchant services, banking, AI, technology and operating strategy for small and medium-sized businesses.
