Make sure the data and systems your organization could not function without are backed up somewhere separate and can actually be recovered, so a failure or an attack is a bad day and not a permanent loss.
First in Protect Against Disaster and Systems Failure.
The data and systems the organization could not function without.
| Critical data or system | Where the only copy lives now | Backed up separately? | How often, and automatic? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial records | |||
| Client or case records | |||
| Donor and contact records | |||
| Key documents and files | |||
| Other |
The rule to hold: a backup on the same computer, or in the same building, is not a backup against fire, theft, or an attack. Each critical set needs a copy somewhere separate, and ideally one that a scam locking your files could not reach.
A backup you have never restored from is a guess.
The test is simple: if your systems failed or your files were locked tomorrow, could you get your critical data back, and does someone know how. When every critical set has a separate, tested backup, a disaster to your data is survivable. Feeds the Continuity-of-Service Plan. Everyday data ownership and hygiene live in the operations and systems work.
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