Backup Best Practices for Business Data

Ransomware, hardware failure, theft, and human error can destroy years of business data in minutes. Backups are not optional — but a backup that has never been restored is only hope, not a plan.

Follow the 3-2-1 rule

• 3 copies of important data — production plus two backups.
• 2 different media types — e.g. local NAS and cloud object storage.
• 1 copy offsite — geographically separate from your office (cloud counts).

What to back up

Prioritise financial systems, client databases, shared drives, email (if not fully cloud-native), and configuration exports for firewalls and servers. Document Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) so stakeholders understand downtime limits.

Microsoft 365 and cloud workloads

• Microsoft 365 has limited native retention — deleted mailboxes and SharePoint libraries can be purged permanently.
• Use Microsoft 365 backup or third-party SaaS backup for Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams.
• Version history in SharePoint and OneDrive helps with accidental deletes but is not a substitute for full backup.

Test restores regularly

Schedule quarterly restore tests — pick a random file, database, or VM and recover it to an isolated environment. Log results and fix failures immediately. Many businesses discover backup gaps only during a crisis.

Immutable and air-gapped copies

Modern ransomware hunts backup repositories. Use immutable storage or offline rotation so attackers cannot encrypt your last line of defence. FKS Computers designs backup solutions for South African SMEs using cloud and on-premises components.