For anyone with nothing in place.
THIRTY MINUTES, IN ORDER
- cPanel > Backup > Download a Full Account Backup. Generate it and download it when ready. Delete the server copy.
- Verify it opens on your computer and contains a databases folder and your files.
- Install a backup plugin on your main site, or configure a scheduled cPanel backup.
- Connect cloud storage: Google Drive or Dropbox.
- Set the schedule: database daily, files weekly.
- Set retention: keep a fortnight of dailies and several monthlies.
- Run one manually and confirm the file appears in the storage.
- If the site is WordPress, confirm the cron job is configured, since HTTP wp-cron is blocked here and the schedule will not otherwise run.
THIS WEEK
Archive your email with an IMAP client Note your DNS records and cron jobs in a document
THIS MONTH
Restore-test to a staging subdomain
THAT IS IT
Thirty minutes puts you ahead of most sites. The verification habit is what keeps you there.
THE ONE THING NOT TO SKIP
Downloading that first full backup, today, before anything else.
