Backup & Data Recovery

The 3-2-1 rule is the gold standard for data protection: 3 copies of the data (the original plus 2 backups), 2 different storage media (a local server and the cloud, for example), 1 off-site copy (in another physical location or in the cloud). This strategy covers every scenario: hardware failure, ransomware, theft, fire, flooding.

Our recommendations: Local backup: Synology NAS with Active Backup for Business (free and excellent). Cloud backup: Acronis Cyber Protect (all-in-one), Veeam Backup (enterprise). Microsoft 365 backup: Acronis Cloud Backup for M365. NAS backup: Synology Hyper Backup with C2 Cloud or Backblaze B2. Every solution includes AES-256 encryption.

The frequency depends on how critical the data is: Critical databases: hourly or in real time (replication). Working files: daily (an incremental backup in the evening). Full system images: weekly. Email: daily. The rule: how much data can you afford to lose? If the answer is “one day”, back up daily. If it is “one hour”, back up hourly.

RPO (Recovery Point Objective) = how much data you can afford to lose. If the backup runs daily, the RPO is 24 hours (you lose at most one working day). RTO (Recovery Time Objective) = how quickly services have to be back. If the RTO is 4 hours, you must be operational within 4 hours of a disaster. Neoxis helps you define the right RPO and RTO for each system.

We test regularly through: automatic verification (a hash check on every backup), a monthly test restore (we restore random data and check its integrity), a quarterly DR drill (we simulate a full disaster and measure the real RTO), reporting (daily backup status, alerts on failures). 30% of the companies that never test their backups discover they are corrupted at the moment they need them.

A DR plan documents: which systems must be restored first, how the restore is carried out step by step, who is responsible for each stage, where the backups are (locations, credentials), when each system has to be back (RTO per system), how we communicate with the team and with customers while services are down. Without a plan, recovery time is 3-5 times longer.

Local backup (NAS): fast restores (at local network speed), a fixed cost (no monthly fees), full control. Cloud backup: automatic off-site protection, unlimited scalability, accessible from anywhere. Our recommendation: both. Local backup for fast restores, cloud for protection against physical disasters (fire, theft). That is the 3-2-1 rule.

Anti-ransomware strategies for backups: immutable backups (backups that cannot be altered or deleted for a set period), air-gapped backup (a copy disconnected from the network), versioning (we keep several versions, not just the latest), separate credentials (the backup uses an account outside the domain), regular restore testing. Modern ransomware actively targets backups — protecting them is critical.

The cost depends on the volume of data, on the number of users and servers, on how far back you need to be able to go (the retention period) and on the architecture you choose. The usual components: the local hardware (a NAS with disks), the backup software licensing (per socket, per virtual machine or per device), the cloud storage for the off-site copy and, separately, backup for Microsoft 365 — which is not included in the Microsoft subscription. We recommend the 3-2-1 rule: three copies, on two different media, one of them off-site. We prepare a tailored quote after assessing the data that needs protecting.

The recovery process: 1) Assessing the situation (what was lost and why), 2) Containment (stopping it from spreading if it is ransomware), 3) Identifying the best backup (the most recent valid one), 4) Restoring (granular — specific files — or complete — an entire server), 5) Checking the integrity of the restored data, 6) Incident report and preventive measures.