Insights · Backup planning
5 signs your backups won’t save you
October 5, 2026 · NACIT engineering team
Most businesses we meet have backups. Far fewer have ever brought data back from them. When a server fails or ransomware hits, that difference decides whether you are back in hours or out for weeks.
1. Nobody has tested a restore
A backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a plan. Ask when someone last recovered a real file — and a whole server — from your backups.
2. Every copy is in the same building
Fire, flood, theft or ransomware can take the office copy along with the original. Keep at least one copy somewhere else.
3. The backup can be changed from your network
Modern ransomware looks for backups and deletes them first. At least one copy should be offline or locked so it cannot be altered.
4. Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace isn’t backed up
Cloud services keep your data running, but deleted or overwritten mail and files are not always recoverable after their short retention window.
5. Nobody gets an alert when a backup fails
Backups fail quietly — a full disk, an expired password. If no one is told, you find out on the worst possible day.
What to do
- Test a restore every month, and write down the result
- Keep one copy off site and one copy that cannot be changed
- Back up your cloud mail and files too
- Make sure someone is alerted when a backup fails
Want a second opinion on your backups? It is part of our free IT assessment.