Backup Plans for Small Businesses
Every business keeps different data in different places, so each backup plan starts from what you have rather than a fixed package. This page explains what a plan covers, how it is put together and kept healthy, and the kind of business it fits.
What a plan protects
- Files on shared drives, servers and individual computers.
- Cloud-hosted email and documents, which benefit from a backup kept separately from the provider’s own retention.
- Line-of-business databases and accounting data.
- System images, where rebuilding a machine from scratch would take too long.
How the plan is built
Map the data
We record where important data lives, who owns it, how often it changes and how quickly the business would need it back after a loss.
Apply 3-2-1
Copies are arranged so there are three in total, on two kinds of storage, with one offsite. The answer on the 3-2-1 backup rule explains why.
Set versioning and retention
Enough restore points are kept to recover from problems noticed late, such as a corrupted spreadsheet or files that were quietly encrypted.
Protect the backups themselves
At least one copy is immutable or kept offline, with separate credentials, so it cannot be erased from a compromised computer. See how backups help against ransomware.
Test and document
Restores are tested on a schedule and the steps are written down, following the approach in how often to test restores.
Who it suits
Plans fit small businesses that depend on their data but have nobody whose job is watching backups. They suit offices with a mix of local computers and cloud services, and teams that want a clear written record of what is protected.
Find out where your data really stands
Tell us how you back up today, even if the honest answer is that you don’t. We will help you work out the next sensible step.