SECURITY BASICS 5 min read

The small-business backup questions that matter most

A backup is only useful if it is protected, available, and tested. These five questions reveal whether yours is ready.

Many businesses have a backup product. Fewer have a recovery plan they have actually tested. The difference matters when a server fails, a laptop is stolen, or ransomware spreads through shared files.

Ask these five questions

1. What data is backed up? Include Microsoft 365 data, line-of-business applications, endpoints, and cloud services—not just a local file server.
2. How quickly do we need to recover? Your recovery time objective should reflect the cost of being down, not just what a product brochure promises.
3. Could an attacker delete the backup? Look for isolated, immutable, or otherwise protected copies with separate administrative controls.
4. Who can restore it? A recovery plan needs named people, documented access, and a path that does not depend on one person’s memory.
5. When was the last restore test? A successful job report does not prove the restored data is usable. Test a real file and a real system.

Make recovery a business conversation

Backups are technology, but recovery is business continuity. Prime Support can review your current approach, identify gaps, and help you build a plan your team can understand.