Seeing a green “backup successful” message is reassuring, but it does not prove that the business can recover the information it needs after a failure. Backup testing is the step that turns a backup system into a recovery plan.
What should a restore test prove?
A useful restore test should show that the backup contains the expected data, that the data can be retrieved within a reasonable time and that the person responsible knows the steps required to recover it.
Test different types of data
A business may have several separate backup requirements: files on computers, server data, NAS storage, accounting files, databases, Microsoft 365 mailboxes, OneDrive and SharePoint. Testing only one source can leave important gaps unnoticed.
Check the age of recovery points
It is important to know how far back backups are retained. A problem such as accidental deletion or corrupted data may not be discovered immediately, so the newest recovery point is not always the one you need.
Think about how long recovery will take
Restoring one document is very different from rebuilding a complete server or recovering a large amount of cloud data. Businesses should understand how long their critical systems can reasonably be unavailable.
Keep at least one recovery path separate from the original system
If backup data is always online and reachable using the same accounts as production data, a compromised account or malicious program may be able to affect both. The design of the backup should consider separation, access controls and retention.
Microsoft 365 deserves its own recovery plan
Email and cloud files are often now more important than a local server. Businesses should decide how deleted mail, OneDrive files, SharePoint documents and Teams data would be recovered and how long those recovery options remain available.
Document the recovery process
The recovery plan should record what is backed up, where backups are stored, who can access them, how restore requests are handled and which systems should be restored first after a major failure.
How often should backups be tested?
The frequency depends on the importance of the data and how often systems change. Critical business systems justify more frequent testing than rarely used archive data. Major infrastructure changes are also a good reason to perform a fresh test.
Our Backup & Disaster Recovery service can include backup review, monitoring and restore testing as part of a wider business IT support arrangement.
Related guides
- Microsoft 365 Backup for Small Business
- Small Business IT Health Check
- Essential Eight for Small Business
