Know what must recover first
List the services your team needs to operate: identity, internet, phones, email, file access, servers and industry applications. Give each a recovery priority and identify the people responsible for decisions.
Protect more than the server
Cloud platforms, laptops and Microsoft 365 data may require separate protection. Keep independent copies, restrict access to backup systems and monitor every backup job.
- Document recovery priorities and acceptable downtime
- Maintain offsite or immutable backup copies
- Protect backup administration with MFA
- Test file and full-system restores
- Record vendor and emergency contacts
- Review the plan after major system changes
Test the process
A successful backup notification is not the same as a successful recovery. Regular testing identifies missing credentials, undocumented dependencies and unrealistic recovery assumptions before an incident.