Secure your data: The importance of backup and how to get it right

World Backup Day on 31 March is a reminder to review your backup strategy. However, backup and disaster recovery are not one-time tasks. It is an ongoing priority as organisations become more dependent on cloud platforms, Microsoft 365, and always-on systems. 

A modern backup and disaster recovery strategy ensures organisations can restore critical data and operations quickly after cyber incidents, outages, or human error. It combines secure, immutable backups, cloud-based protection, and Microsoft 365 protection, with regular recovery testing aligned with defined Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO).

What is a backup and disaster recovery strategy?

A backup and disaster recovery strategy is a structured approach to protecting data and restoring systems after disruptions. It combines secure backups, defined recovery processes, and clear recovery objectives to ensure business continuity.

This means your organisation is not only storing data, but is also able to recover systems and operations within acceptable timeframes.

Before going further, it's worth asking a few key questions about your current approach:

• • How confident are you that your current backup strategy is working and can be restored quickly?

  • Have you tested your backup and disaster recovery recently, ideally within the last three months?

  • Do you have a trusted partner to manage and validate the process?

These questions often highlight gaps that are not obvious until recovery is required.

Why are backups critical for business continuity?

Backups are critical because they enable organisations to recover data and resume operations after disruptions such as cyber attacks, system failures, or human error.

Cyber threats and outages are increasing in frequency and complexity, with ransomware attacks now specifically targeting backup environments to prevent recovery. At the same time, the shift to Microsoft 365 and hybrid cloud has expanded the attack surface and introduced new data protection challenges.

Cybercrime is projected to cost the global economy over $10 trillion annually, reinforcing the need for organisations to move beyond basic backup and focus on verified recovery and resilience.

Preparing for these scenarios is essential. Without a reliable backup and recovery capability, even a short disruption can escalate into a major business issue.

Protection against data loss

Data loss can occur in many ways, including hardware failure, human error, cyber attacks, or natural disasters.

A well-managed backup ensures that if the worst happens, your data can be restored in a controlled and timely manner.

Compliance and regulatory requirements

Many industries have strict requirements around how data is stored and retained.

For example:

• • The Australian Taxation Office requires financial records to be kept for five years

  • The Australian Securities & Investments Commission requires retention for seven years

  • Healthcare providers in NSW must retain patient records for defined periods under the Health Records and Information Privacy Act

Failure to meet these obligations can result in penalties and increased scrutiny.

What is Backup as a Service (BaaS)?

Backup as a Service (BaaS) is a managed solution that protects, monitors, and enables recovery of business data across on-premises, cloud, and SaaS environments.

It allows organisations to maintain consistent, secure backups without the operational overhead of managing infrastructure, testing, and monitoring internally.

How do you know if your backup is working?

You know your backup is working when it is regularly tested, aligned to defined recovery objectives, and able to restore systems within required timeframes.

Indicators of a reliable backup strategy include:

• • Regular restore testing that includes full system recovery

  • Clearly defined RTO and RPO aligned to business needs

  • Protection against ransomware and unauthorised modification

  • Continuous monitoring and reporting

  • Alignment with compliance requirements

Without these elements, backup may exist, but recovery cannot be guaranteed.

How to ensure your backup strategy is effective

An effective backup strategy is defined by reliable recovery, not just data storage.

To achieve this, organisations need:

• • Automated, policy-driven backups across all environments

  • Coverage across on-premises, cloud, and SaaS platforms

  • Secure and immutable storage

  • Regular testing of recovery processes

  • Continuous monitoring and reporting

Backup as a Service (BaaS) supports this approach by delivering scalable, managed data protection. It enables organisations to maintain consistent backup coverage, reduce operational overhead, and ensure recovery processes are regularly validated.

As environments become more complex, managing backup internally can introduce gaps in testing, coverage, and governance.

The Missing Link delivers managed backup and recovery through SmartPROTECT,  helping organisations protect business-critical data, close backup gaps, and validate their ability to recover when it matters most. 

Frequently asked questions