The worst case.
FIRST, EXHAUST THE OPTIONS
Check whether we hold a server-side restore point within retention. Open a ticket with the date you need. Check your own computer for old downloads. Check whether a developer or colleague has a copy. Check whether a staging or local copy exists. Check your repository, if the code was version controlled.
FOR CONTENT
An archive service may hold cached copies of your public pages. This recovers text and sometimes images, which is better than nothing.
Search engine caches sometimes hold recent versions.
FOR A SHOP
The payment gateway holds transaction records. Customer contact details may be recoverable from there and from your email.
FOR EMAIL
If any device had the mailbox configured with POP3, it may hold a local copy.
WHAT TO ACCEPT
Some things are genuinely gone. Establish what quickly rather than spending days hoping.
REBUILDING
Prioritise: what must exist for the business to function, then what can be recreated over time.
AFTERWARDS
Set up backups properly, before anything else. This is the lesson people learn once.
