Have You Tested Your Company Backup & Restore Process Recently? Perhaps Its Time You Did…
14 May 2015
It’s all very well having a disaster recovery plan in place but can you be 100% sure that it works? If the answer is no, then it’s about time you got round to testing your backup & restore procedure. Here we’ll explain why it’s crucial to your company’s success.
What is restore?
Part of your disaster recovery or business continuity plan should have involved creating what’s known as a “restore”. This is basically a back-up version of all of your data. Your restore will be located either in your own systems or a third party’s data centre, which can be accessed via the Cloud.
Updating restores
Restores must be updated on a regular basis. If they’re not and you need to use them in the future, you will find that you are missing a significant number of files and that most of your data is out of date.
We highly recommend that organisations enforce data back-up policies that inform employees about the sort of data they need to back-up and how often back-ups need to be carried out.
Dealing with user error or mass deletion of files
Let’s face it, people make mistakes, we are only human after all. The problem is that one little user error can lead to the loss of important files that could end up costing your business time, money and/or its reputation. This is why it is essential to have reliable restore facilities. If you don’t, retrieving a lost document file can become time consuming, complex and sometimes even impossible.
Some computer viruses and malware are capable of carrying out a mass deletion or forced encryption of files. If one of your employees accidentally downloads malware onto their PC or there’s a flaw in the software you’re using, your entire IT system could be vulnerable. This is another reason why it’s so important to have a reliable restore. You need the peace of mind that if a virus infects your system and wipes out your files that you’ll be able to restore them and continue with business as normal, without disruption or downtime.
Testing your restore
If you’ve got a reliable restore then you’re already doing a lot to protect your business information but it is important to check that your restore actually works. Testing your restore process will allow you to identify any problems with retrieval functionality, security or encryption and resolve them before you really need it to work.
Any back-up method chosen needs to be manually tested on a regular basis and, proving that a business can restore is essential to being disaster-ready. Many factors can affect the ability to recover data; you’ll need to ensure these are not going to be a problem for you.
The main excuse for businesses not testing their backup & restore processes is that they don’t have time. The trouble with this excuse is that there should always be time for testing your restore, after all, this is what will save your business in the event of a disaster!
Of course, testing isn’t something you have to carry out yourself. Work with a dedicated IT support provider like Grant McGregor and have restore testing carried out on your behalf. We test many of our clients’ restores on a regular basis and issue a restore certificate so they (and we) can be 100% confident that their restore will work in the event of a disaster.
Want to find out more about having your restore tested or talk about what you should do to create a reliable business continuity process? Let us give you an honest appraisal of your system back-up and restore process!
Simply contact us on 0131 603 7910 and ask for Jon Towers or David Lawrence. We’ll give you one hour of our time free of charge to assess and report on your back-up and restore process to let you know if it will meet your needs reliably.
Other Press Releases By This Company
- 04/08/2023 - Half year review: 2023’s best new features in Microsoft Teams
- 04/08/2023 - Should your organisation be leasing your IT hardware?
- 03/08/2023 - Should your users be using Microsoft Edge Password Manager?
- 03/08/2023 - What can we learn from the Capita data breaches?
- 03/08/2023 - Is your business data at risk? Don’t take chances with old tech
- 28/07/2023 - What are the risks of ChatGPT and large language models (LLMs)? And what should you do about them?
- 26/07/2023 - Grant McGregor scoops seventh spot in international MSP awards
- 26/07/2023 - Pride month: Does the tech sector have a diversity problem?
- 02/06/2023 - Is your organisation doing enough on supply chain security?
- 02/06/2023 - How to minimise the risk from phishing
- 01/06/2023 - The ethics of AI and the problem of bias
- 26/05/2023 - Should your users be using Microsoft Edge Password Manager?
- 26/05/2023 - Half year review: 2023’s best new features in Microsoft Teams
- 27/02/2023 - 10 signs it's time to get a new IT support company
- 27/02/2023 - New changes to Cyber Essentials for 2023
- 27/02/2023 - The 2023 cyber threats for which you should prepare
- 10/02/2023 - Five 2023 business challenges – and how tech can help you respond
- 10/02/2023 - Choosing the right Business Intelligence tools
- 10/02/2023 - What is Microsoft Autopilot? And do I need it?
- 09/11/2022 - What does the EU’s new Digital Services Act mean for your business?
- 09/11/2022 - 5 great cloud software solutions from which every small business can benefit
- 07/11/2022 - Five business processes that could be ripe for automation in your organisation
- 07/11/2022 - Tips for getting the most from Power Platform
- 27/09/2022 - Nine months on… meeting the new Cyber Essentials requirements
- 27/09/2022 - AWS, Azure or Google: Which cloud should you choose?
- 24/08/2022 - How much do you need to understand your business IT to change your IT support supplier?
- 24/08/2022 - What can we learn from the great Steve Jobs?
- 15/08/2022 - China: the new security risk?
- 15/08/2022 - How to protect your organisation against 2022 phishing threats
- 26/07/2022 - What is Azure Virtual Desktop? And do I need it?
- 26/07/2022 - Can I really use Power Automate to automate my workflows? How to get started.
- 18/07/2022 - Your business is losing hundreds of hours to spam every year
- 15/07/2022 - Protect your business from these common financial phishing scams
- 15/07/2022 - 12 questions to ask your web developer about cyber security
- 15/07/2022 - Is LinkedIn the safe space you think it is?
- 09/06/2022 - What does the UK Government’s national cyber strategy 2022 mean for SMEs?
- 31/05/2022 - Your guide to creating an effective enrolment policy for users and devices
- 24/05/2022 - Can we really achieve Net Zero in our data centres?
- 16/05/2022 - A guide to making hybrid work over the long term
- 16/05/2022 - The New Password Rules: 2022 Update
- 04/05/2022 - What does the new normal look like now?
- 04/05/2022 - How to implement multi-factor authentication
- 04/05/2022 - Should you have one IT Support Partner – or several?
- 04/05/2022 - New report on phishing email activity reveals an increasingly active threat landscape
- 05/08/2021 - Are your devices managed and secured to meet today’s evolving threats?
- 05/08/2021 - How Long Does It Take to Switch IT Support Companies?
- 22/07/2021 - Everything You Need to Know About Heimdal Patch Management
- 22/07/2021 - The Dark Web: What It Is, What It Isn’t and What You Need to Know
- 22/07/2021 - IT Pro with MDM
- 22/07/2021 - Grant McGregor ranks once again on Channel Futures' MSP501 list
- 22/07/2021 - How to Develop an Incident Reporting Culture
- 16/06/2021 - What is Business Voice Pro? And How Do I Get Started with It?
- 16/06/2021 - 8 Cool Features You Should Be Using in Microsoft Teams
- 04/06/2021 - 6 Common Worries and Mistakes when Moving From IT Suppliers to an IT Partner – And How to Mitigate them!
- 04/06/2021 - Are Your Microsoft 365 Backups Sufficient?
- 03/06/2021 - New NCSC Research Shows Small Businesses Have Most to Gain from Cyber Essentials Scheme
- 03/06/2021 - Should Your Organisation Standardise on Microsoft Surface Devices?
- 03/06/2021 - What Your Organisation Needs to Know about 5G
- 02/06/2021 - How Can You Streamline Your Digital Communications Channels?
- 02/06/2021 - What Are the COVID-19 Keepers? Four of 2020’s Changes We Plan to Continue
- 07/04/2021 - Quick Q&A: Should You Be Reviewing Your Corporate VPN?
- 07/04/2021 - If 2020 was about responding to COVID-19, what will 2021’s recovery look like?
- 11/11/2020 - Cyber Essentials
- 15/07/2020 - Why have I not received my email?
- 11/06/2020 - 5 Security Tips When Working From Home
- 11/06/2020 - What is an SLA and Why Should My IT Provider Have One?
- 11/06/2020 - Can You Help Me with Remote Working?
- 26/03/2020 - Remote Working – What You Need to Know
- 17/03/2020 - What Can You Do about the New Phishing Threat?
- 17/03/2020 - The Importance of Online Backup for SMEs
- 17/03/2020 - Is Your IT Support Still Right for Your Business?
- 17/03/2020 - Why You Should be Using 2 Factor Authentication in Your Business Right Now!
- 17/02/2020 - The new security threats
- 06/02/2020 - Quick Guide to Office 365 Security Monitoring
- 27/01/2020 - How Phishing Got Social
- 21/01/2020 - Predictions 2020
- 21/01/2020 - How much should IT support cost?
- 21/01/2020 - Scottish Enterprise Announces Closing Date for Cyber Essentials Voucher Applications
- 21/01/2020 - Unhappy new data breach!
- 19/12/2019 - The 6 questions to ask your IT provider about their own security
- 19/12/2019 - The Cyber Essentials Policies Your Business Needs
- 12/12/2019 - The 6 questions to ask your IT provider about their own security
- 25/11/2019 - The 8 Warning Signs that Indicate You Need to Switch Your IT Provider
- 25/11/2019 - Are you doing enough to protect your staff against Phishing?
- 25/11/2019 - Does Better the Devil You Know Hold True for IT Support?
- 04/11/2019 - Why SMEs Should Get Expert Help with Cyber Security
- 25/10/2019 - Why Are Software Updates (or Patches) So Important?
- 25/10/2019 - Are You Doing Enough to Protect Your Data?
- 07/10/2019 - Want to Get Back to Doing Your Day-Job?
- 06/08/2019 - The Ever-Growing Attack Surface of IoT: Your Questions Answered
- 06/08/2019 - Secure Yourself this Summer! How to Holiday with Peace of Mind
- 06/08/2019 - Going to The Darkside?
- 06/08/2019 - The New Rules for Passwords in 2019
- 04/07/2019 - Outlook – Cloudy
- 04/07/2019 - Doubling up: why two-factor authentication is your next step in digital security
- 04/07/2019 - One Year On from GDPR: What’s Changed?
- 19/06/2019 - Are Your Websites and Applications Secure?
- 10/06/2019 - From Spam to Phish – Cyber Crime on a Plate
- 28/05/2019 - How to Address the Dangers of Personal Devices for Work
- 23/05/2019 - Can Outsourced IT and Internal IT Work Together?
- 26/03/2019 - Are You Doing Enough on Mobile Device Security?
- 26/03/2019 - Office 365 Popularity Grows…as does its potential vulnerability
- 26/03/2019 - The (Free) First Step to Better IT!
- 06/03/2019 - Passwords: Can we live without them?
- 06/03/2019 - How setting up SOPs can help you deal with IT points of failure
- 04/03/2019 - Urgent Call to Action if You Are Using Windows 7
- 04/03/2019 - Windows Server 2008 R2 Approaching End of Life
- 14/01/2019 - Advancing Your IT Strategy: How to Identify Critical Vulnerabilities and Points of Failure
- 08/01/2019 - The Five Vital Components to Think About When Creating a New IT Strategy
- 20/12/2018 - 5 Key Considerations When Implementing Change: How to Shake Up Process Whilst Keeping Your Team On Side.
- 20/12/2018 - The IT Lifecycle and 5 Signs that it’s Time to Upgrade Your Technology
- 04/12/2018 - How Big (or Small) Does Your Organisation Need to Be to Need an IT Strategy?
- 04/12/2018 - Why IT Cannot Be a Reactive Activity
- 22/10/2018 - Everyone Begins Cyber Essentials from a Different Starting Point
- 22/10/2018 - What is an Information Asset Register? And how might it help me be GDPR compliant?
- 15/10/2018 - What NOT to do when you lose your mobile device
- 15/10/2018 - How to ensure the success of your disaster recovery and business continuity plans
- 15/10/2018 - Weighing in on Microsoft’s New Office 365 Subscription Model
- 11/09/2018 - How Do You Stop a Phishing Attack?
- 13/08/2018 - The Beginner’s Guide to Encryption
- 13/08/2018 - GDPR: the aftermath
- 02/08/2018 - Secure Yourself this Summer! How to Holiday with Peace of Mind
- 02/08/2018 - The Right to Be Forgotten – Ongoing Challenges of Data Privacy
- 02/08/2018 - 5 Ways to Use Technology to Increase Efficiency in Your Business
- 03/07/2018 - Don’t Rely on Ethics: Protecting Your Company When You Need to Let Someone Go
- 20/06/2018 - Should You be Switching to Office 365?
- 12/06/2018 - Getting the Best
- 08/06/2018 - Computer Says: User Error
- 01/06/2018 - When is the best time to replace your IT equipment?
- 01/06/2018 - GDPR, Outsourcing and Third-Party Data – What you need to know before the sky falls in this Friday!
- 01/06/2018 - GDPR – the end of the beginning…
- 10/05/2018 - What Is End Point Security and Do I Need It?
- 10/05/2018 - How Can Technology Make Home Working More Productive?
- 12/04/2018 - Malware is Getting Even Smarter. What Can You Do to Protect Your Business?
- 06/04/2018 - Is it Time for an IT Spring Clean?
- 06/04/2018 - GDPR: Do Business Emails Count as ‘Personal Data’?
- 22/03/2018 - Is Employee Absence Affecting Your Business This Winter?
- 22/03/2018 - Best Practice Password Security
- 22/03/2018 - The Dangers of Over-Sharing Online
- 22/03/2018 - How the GDPR can help to re-establish a great relationship with your customers.
- 07/03/2018 - Fed Up of Hearing About GDPR?
- 07/03/2018 - 5 Things Every BYOD Policy Needs
- 22/02/2018 - 6 Things You Can Do This Year to Boost Your IT Performance in 2018
- 22/02/2018 - Could Social Media Be Your Security Weak Spot?
- 07/02/2018 - 6 Things You Can Do This Year to Boost Your IT Performance in 2018
- 05/02/2018 - Why the Carphone Warehouse Data Breach Offers Lessons to us All…
- 29/11/2017 - Are You Adequately Testing your Backup and Recovery Plans?
- 29/11/2017 - Protect your Business, your Clients and your Supply Chain with the UK Government’s Cyber Essentials Security Standard
- 13/11/2017 - The Beginner’s Guide to Cloud Security
- 13/11/2017 - Trick or Treat? What sort of service do you get from your IT provider?
- 13/11/2017 - Strategies for Surviving a Cyber Attack
- 19/10/2017 - Protect Your Business from Insider Attacks
- 10/10/2017 - Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Results to date – how do you rate us?
- 05/10/2017 - Two Thirds of UK Firms Hiring for GDPR – What are you doing?
- 29/09/2017 - Evidence Suggests Looming GDPR Is Still Being Ignored by British Businesses
- 29/09/2017 - Staff Training: Your First Line of Defence in IT Security
- 29/09/2017 - How Should a Small Business Prioritise IT Spend?
- 05/09/2017 - 4 Benefits of Microsoft SharePoint – What is it and is it relevant to your business or organisation?
- 29/08/2017 - The Impending SME Security Crisis
- 29/08/2017 - Cloud 101: SaaS, PaaS & IaaS Explained
- 17/08/2017 - Comparing the Advantages with the Pitfalls of BYOD
- 27/07/2017 - What is the “right” level of security for my business?
- 27/07/2017 - The 7-Step Plan for Small Businesses for Essential Cyber Security
- 14/07/2017 - An Introduction to GDPR: Give Data Proper Respect!
- 03/07/2017 - You’re Not Too Small to Be a Victim: The Obvious IT Security Fails Small Businesses Can Avoid
- 21/06/2017 - The Rise of Personally-Targeted Spear-Phishing Attacks & How to Defend Yourself From Them…
- 14/06/2017 - Your IT perimeter: where is it and how do you best defend it?
- 05/06/2017 - Is the Password Still Relevant to Control Identity and Access to Your IT Systems and Data?
- 05/06/2017 - Empowering Employees Through Mobilisation
- 22/05/2017 - Is Your Disaster Recovery Plan & Process Up to Scratch?
- 16/05/2017 - How to Protect Your Business Against Cyber-Attacks and Data Theft Wow! Quite a weekend of news around Cyber Security…
- 11/05/2017 - 3 Ways a Small & Medium Business (SMB) Can Benefit From YouTube Content Marketing
- 08/05/2017 - 5 Top Tips for Handling Confidential Information in Your Business
- 26/04/2017 - Support for Windows Vista Comes To An End
- 26/04/2017 - Ten Straightforward Social Media Tips & Tricks
- 27/03/2017 - Cyber Security Experts Warn of Rise in Ransomware
- 22/03/2017 - (Not Always Obvious) Things You Should Look Out for to Avoid Phishing Scams
- 13/03/2017 - 8 Top Tips for Managing a Virtual Work Team
- 06/03/2017 - Top Tips for Making IT Relevant for Your Business
- 27/02/2017 - How Two-Factor Authentication Can Help You Secure Your Business
- 22/02/2017 - How SMEs Can Benefit from Keeping Up to Speed with Mobile Technology
- 14/02/2017 - IoT Security Tips for SMEs
- 07/02/2017 - Is Windows 7 no longer fit for business use?
- 30/01/2017 - How to Combat the ‘Insider Threat’
- 23/01/2017 - How to Use Technology to Attract the Best Talent to Your Business
- 23/01/2017 - 3 Top Tips for Improving Office Connectivity in 2017
- 12/01/2017 - Learning the lessons of 2016: How SMEs can improve their cyber security practices this year
- 12/01/2017 - Its a New Year…Is It Time for a New IT Company In 2017?
- 12/01/2017 - 5 Social Media Trends to Look Out For in 2017
- 19/12/2016 - How to be a Savvy Web User this Christmas
- 12/12/2016 - 5 Signs That Security in Your Business Needs to be Improved
- 06/12/2016 - Why Smart Cities Will Prove to be a Game-Changer for Business, Your Health and Our Humanity
- 30/11/2016 - Grant McGregor Wins SolarWinds MSP Community Partner of the Year!
- 17/11/2016 - Why Centralised Data is Important and the Steps to Take to Protect Your Data
- 07/11/2016 - The ‘Brexit Effect’ on Technology Prices – What does this mean for UK Businesses and Organisations?
- 31/10/2016 - Is Antivirus Still Relevant in a World of Increasing Cyber-Attacks
- 26/10/2016 - 5 Ways to Use Technology to Increase Efficiency in Your Business
- 26/10/2016 - A Guide to MOVEit Transfer
- 10/10/2016 - Why SMEs Should Take Cyber Security Seriously
- 26/09/2016 - The 5 Biggest Vulnerabilities That Scammers Look to Exploit in Small Businesses And Organisations
- 20/09/2016 - Four Top Tips for Reducing IT Expenditure
- 12/09/2016 - How to Spot and Deal with Fake/Scam Emails – 5 Tips to Keep Your Business Safe
- 07/09/2016 - 10 Tips to Get The Most Out of Windows 10
- 30/08/2016 - How Technology Can Help You Grow Your Business
- 25/08/2016 - 6 Vital Reasons You Should Filter Web Traffic Through Your IT Network
- 18/08/2016 - Back to school… already?!
- 03/08/2016 - Six Simple Ways to Seize Control of Your Document Storage
- 19/07/2016 - 5 Practical Steps to Improve IT Security in Your Business
- 06/07/2016 - How to Implement a New IT System with Minimal Disruption
- 01/07/2016 - Reboot, Restore, Revitalise – Need to give your IT a makeover this summer?
- 20/06/2016 - Office 365 – Why your business could be missing out by shunning Apple devices
- 15/06/2016 - How to Manage Business Mobile Devices
- 07/06/2016 - Why Hiring the Right Staff is Vital for SMEs in 2016
- 23/05/2016 - 10 Fundamentals of Using Social Media Effectively for Your Business
- 17/05/2016 - Strengthen your IT team with LOGICnow in your corner…
- 17/05/2016 - Why so-called “CEO Fraud” is so Dangerous to Your Business and How to Avoid It
- 03/05/2016 - How to Protect Your Business from CryptoLocker
- 26/04/2016 - Back to Basics…Is GFI LanGuard Right for Securing Your Business?
- 20/04/2016 - Pulling Together – 5 Key Benefits of Co-sourcing IT Support Services
- 12/04/2016 - Is it Time to Audit Your IT Systems?
- 05/04/2016 - The Three Most Common Access Control Issues
- 30/03/2016 - Which Strategies Are Best to Protect Against Malware?
- 21/03/2016 - Is It Time To Hop Over To A New IT Company This Easter?
- 17/03/2016 - Do Home Workers Present a Security Risk to Your Business IT Network?
- 10/03/2016 - 8 Reasons Why You Might Not Be Receiving Email
- 01/03/2016 - Managing IT Infrastructure & Security
- 22/02/2016 - How to Use IT Strategically in Your Business to Gain a Competitive Advantage
- 18/02/2016 - 10 Things to consider before subscribing to Office 365
- 18/02/2016 - 7 Business Technology Trends for 2016
- 18/02/2016 - What impact will reforms to the Data Protection Act have on your business, and what relevant adjustments are you likely to have to make?
- 18/02/2016 - The Benefits of 24/7 Monitoring of Your Physical and Virtual IT Infrastructure
- 12/02/2016 - Are You Head Over Heels With Your IT Company…Or Have They Left You Broken Hearted?
- 11/02/2016 - What 2015 Taught Us – A Look Back at the Big IT Stories
- 15/12/2015 - How to be a Savvy Web User this Christmas
- 15/12/2015 - Fraud Prevention Seminar is a Virtual Success
- 27/11/2015 - Are You Ready For Employee Absence Affecting Your Business This Winter?
- 20/11/2015 - Security Is No Longer an IT Problem, It Is a Business Issue!
- 13/11/2015 - 7 Essential Reasons To Back-Up Your Laptop
- 13/11/2015 - Apple Announce Microsoft Office for the iPad Pro
- 13/11/2015 - Cyber Security – it won’t happen to me…or will it!
- 10/09/2015 - Top Ten Network Monitoring Benefits
- 10/09/2015 - Email today – is it a blessing or a curse?
- 10/09/2015 - Preventing Shadow IT – Cloud Security Risks & Solutions
- 10/09/2015 - Risky Business – why you shouldn’t store important files locally
- 10/09/2015 - Grant McGregor Ltd Becomes a Microsoft Authorized Education Reseller
- 10/09/2015 - Award Winning Technology from Award Winning People!
- 25/08/2015 - Too Risky to Stay or Leave – Changing Your IT Support Partner
- 16/06/2015 - 8 Reasons to start using Microsoft Publisher today
- 10/06/2015 - Magento Security Breach – the importance of applying your security updates on time
- 09/06/2015 - Cyber Attacks Continue – Make Sure Your Company is Protected
- 09/06/2015 - What do you need to ask yourself before you think about IT change?
- 15/05/2015 - 3 Reasons You Should Add Email Archiving & Retention to Your Email Security Services Today
- 15/05/2015 - 5 Easy Steps to Using Microsoft Excel More Effectively
- 15/05/2015 - Do you Move to Windows 8 or stay with Windows 7 and wait for Windows 10?
- 15/05/2015 - Seven Great New Offerings Contained In Office 365 Cloud Services
- 14/05/2015 - 50,000 Ways to Save Yourself Time When Securing Your IT Network
