Not only data.
WHAT TO BACK UP
Application data Databases Uploaded files Configuration The description of the infrastructure itself
WHAT PEOPLE FORGET
Configuration, and the knowledge of how the server was set up.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT THAT
Describe the setup in code, in version control.
That is the configuration backup.
WHERE TO KEEP BACKUPS
Somewhere the server cannot reach.
WHY
So a compromise or a mistake cannot destroy them.
WHAT TO ENCRYPT
Backups, which contain everything.
WHAT TO TEST
Restoring, on a schedule.
WHY
An untested backup is an assumption.
WHAT TO MEASURE
How long a full restore takes How much data would be lost
THOSE TWO FIGURES
Define your actual recovery position, regardless of what you intended.
WHAT TO KEEP
Several versions, from different dates.
WHY
A recent backup may already contain the problem.
WHAT TO DOCUMENT
The restore procedure, stored outside the systems it recovers.
