Where backups usually fall short
Of everything we inspect at a new client, the backup tends to be in the worst shape. The software was installed years ago. Failure alerts go to an employee who left. The server is protected, while email, laptops and the cloud apps the company now runs on are not. Now and then the sole backup is an external disk cabled to the very PC it guards, so one ransomware infection would wipe out the original and the copy together.
What threatens data in a Kennesaw business
- Ransomware: the top cause of whole-system restores we see. FBI figures show contractors, engineering firms and law offices are among the most frequent non-critical-infrastructure victims, and attackers try to delete backups before they strike.
- Hardware failure: drives and servers wear out, and a warehouse or inventory database on aging hardware is a real risk.
- Mistakes: a deleted folder, an overwritten price list or a sync that wiped the original.
- Weather and power: north Cobb sees severe summer thunderstorms, tornado warnings and the occasional ice storm. Depending on the address, power comes from Georgia Power or Cobb EMC, and outages after a big storm can last from hours to days.
- Building damage: a burst pipe, a fire in the next unit of a strip center or a break-in can destroy the server and the backup drive beside it.
How we set it up
- Full coverage: servers and key workstations, every Microsoft 365 mailbox and file location, and the data behind your accounting, inventory or patient software.
- Multiple copies: one copy on site so small restores take minutes, and another stored in a remote data center, following the 3-2-1 rule of three copies on two kinds of storage with one kept elsewhere.
- Protected copies: immutable or offline backups that someone who breaks into your network can't erase or encrypt.
- Daily checks: a technician reviews results every business day and fixes failures instead of just logging them.
- Scheduled tests: we restore files and whole systems on a timetable and write down the time each restore needed, so your recovery estimate is based on fact.
Recovery for different kinds of business
Distributors and light manufacturers off Chastain Road and I-75 usually can't wait days for a server to be rebuilt. For them we often keep a standby copy of the key server that can run in the cloud within hours, so orders and shipping keep moving while the hardware is replaced.
Retailers near Town Center rely on point-of-sale and inventory systems that are often hosted by the vendor. Here the job is making sure the local pieces, such as the back-office PC, the network gear and any local data, are covered, and that store managers know what to do when the line goes down.
Professional and medical offices need client and patient files back quickly and intact. A dependable cloud backup with tested restores, plus Microsoft 365 backup, covers most of what they need.
A written plan, not just data
Recovering files is half the job. The other half is getting people back to work. Your plan names who calls whom, where staff work if the building is closed, how phones are forwarded, which systems return first and how you tell customers or patients. Teams with laptops and Microsoft 365 can often keep working from home while the office is dark. We confirm that ahead of time.
What a test restore looks like
A few times a year we pick something real, such as last Tuesday's version of your inventory database or a manager's mailbox, and bring it back into a separate, isolated space. We confirm the files open and the data is current, then note the date, what we restored and the time it took. Once a year we go further and bring up a full server from backup. If anything fails, we fix the cause and test again. You see the results at your quarterly review, so the backup is something you have evidence for rather than something you assume.
Power protection
Brownouts and surges ruin more equipment than most owners realize. We choose the right UPS units for your server, firewall and network closet, watch their health remotely, configure a clean automatic shutdown when an outage drags on, and swap batteries on a schedule rather than after they die.
Questions about backup & disaster recovery
Isn't our data already safe in Microsoft 365?
Microsoft keeps the service running and holds deleted items for a limited time. It doesn't protect you from ransomware that encrypts synced files or from deletions noticed months later. A separate backup covers those gaps.
How often do you test restores?
File restores are tested regularly, and full system recovery is tested at least once a year. Every test goes in a log showing what came back and how many minutes or hours it took.
