Guide · 9 minute read
Backup and disaster recovery for a small business: what to actually test
Restore testedThe difference between a backup and a recovery, the three questions that expose a broken one, and a testing schedule that fits a small company.
By Jamie Deeter, Service Director · August 2026
Recovery time is a number. If nobody can say how long it takes to be back to work after the server dies, nobody has planned it.
A recovery plan with a time on it Gold Star survey"Outstanding as always. Prompt, knowledgeable, and consistently exceeding expectations."
Senada, insurance brokerageMore from the survey wallA backup is not a recovery
A backup is a copy. A recovery is the copy back in service, with people working, by a time somebody promised. Most businesses have the first and assume the second. The gap is measured in days of lost work, and it is only discovered on the worst possible day.
Three questions that expose a broken backup
- Who receives the alert when a backup job fails, and when did they last see one? If the answer is an inbox nobody reads, the backup is not monitored.
- When was a restore last tested, and what was restored? A backup that has never been restored is a hope.
- How long would it take to be back to work if the server died tonight? If nobody can answer with a number, nobody has planned it.
What to back up, and where
Servers and the applications on them. Microsoft 365 email and files, which Microsoft does not back up for you in the way people assume. Line-of-business databases: the accounting system, the agency management system, the ERP. Devices that hold anything unique. Copies should live somewhere the network cannot reach: offline, immutable, or in a separate cloud account, so ransomware cannot encrypt the backup along with the data.
A testing schedule that fits a small company
Monthly: restore a random folder from a random day and open the files. Quarterly: restore a full server to spare hardware or a cloud sandbox and log in. Annually: run the written recovery plan end to end with the people named in it, and time it. Write the results down. The log is what an insurer or an auditor wants to see, and it is how you know the number in your plan is real.
Writing the plan
One page. What comes back first, who does what, who calls whom, what the recovery time is for each system, and where the copies are. Keep it somewhere that survives the disaster: printed, and in a cloud drive not tied to the office network.
Proof it works
The stories where we did this, and what the clients said afterwards.
A second host, a backup server, and a recovery plan with a time on it
Disaster recovery · AssessmentThe backup drives were too small. Nobody had checked in years.
Family business · ERPThe ERP was running on a desktop PC. The vendor said that was fine.
A backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a plan. Ask for the date of the last tested restore.
What to actually test TechnologyMulti-factor on email but not on the remote gateway is a locked front door with the back door open. Do all of them.
Multi-factor everywhereQuestions this guide gets asked
Does Microsoft 365 back itself up?
Not in the way most people assume. Deleted items eventually disappear and a compromised account can destroy data. A separate backup of email and files is standard.
The full answerHow often should we test?
Something monthly, a full server quarterly, the whole plan yearly. Written down every time.
The full answerWhat does recovery time depend on?
The size of the data, the speed of the backup system, and whether there is hardware or cloud capacity ready to run on. A second host cuts recovery from days to under an hour.
"I could tell that the tech working on my computer tried multiple things until something worked. Love seeing that."
Alfredo, engineering firmMore from the survey wall- A technician who knows your setup takes every request. Not a dispatcher, not a queue.
- Every closed ticket is surveyed and a partner reads every response.
- 99.5% of surveys come back positive.
- Family-owned since 2005. 21 years in the same corner of Wisconsin, not going anywhere.
"Service is excellent, quick to respond and quick to complete. Thank you!"
Cheri, small businessCannot answer the three questions?
Neither could most of our clients before they called.
Talk to a partnerTalk to a partner, not a sales script.
Tell us what is going on. A partner will call you back the same business day, look at what you have, and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit. No pricing pressure, no pitch deck.