Backup policy details

The disaster recovery policy defines the backup process in detail, so everyone knows exactly what happens and when. It should list the critical software applications, the critical data and the hardware needed to run them. Critical data is the information the organisation cannot function without, such as online shop orders or cinema ticket bookings, so it is backed up most often.

Different systems need different frequencies. A system that changes constantly and matters most should be backed up more often than one used only occasionally — a busy till system might be copied every 15 minutes, while archived records might be copied every three months. The policy must give these exact frequencies, not just say backups happen regularly, because staff need to know how much work could be lost. It should also give the schedule: the set time and day when each backup runs, such as 07:00 and 19:00 on weekdays or Saturday at 03:00, so backups do not clash with busy periods.

The policy should name the media or platform used, such as a dedicated backup server, and state where backups are stored, such as a secure data centre in another town, so a problem at the main site cannot destroy the copies too. It should also name the designated person or people responsible for backups, usually by job role such as the network manager, so the policy still works when staff change.