A backup is a copy. Recovery is abusiness capability.A backup is a copy. Recovery is a business capability.

Define the work before the technology

A useful recovery discussion starts with the minimum service the business needs to provide. Which records, accounts, applications and supplier contacts would staff need to keep that service running?

Request a restoration result

NCSC guidance advises testing backups and knowing how to restore them. A backup status report and a demonstrated restoration answer different questions. Ask what was restored, when the test happened and whether the restored information was usable.

Include the people and dependencies

Consider an example in which the primary email account is unavailable. If the instructions, supplier contacts and recovery approvals all depend on that same account, a technical copy of the data may not be enough to resume work.

Make the exercise proportionate

Choose a representative record or workflow and agree a safe test with the responsible provider. Record dependencies, elapsed time and anything that prevented completion. Use the result to set the next action rather than making an unsupported promise about recovery speed.

The leadership decision

Agree what interruption the business can tolerate and whether the available evidence supports that expectation. If it does not, decide whether to improve the arrangements, adjust the operating plan or explicitly accept the remaining risk.

Questions to take to your team

• What must be available to deliver your minimum service?
• What does the latest restoration result actually demonstrate?
• Who can coordinate recovery when normal communications fail?