Backups are one of those things everyone agrees are important—until something breaks and you realize your “backup strategy” was just hope.
I’ve managed servers where:
- Backups were running but restores failed
- Data existed but was encrypted by ransomware
- Storage filled up silently and new backups stopped
- “Daily backup” meant overwriting yesterday’s data
This article isn’t theory. These are backup strategies that actually work in production.
1. The 3-2-1 Rule (Still Relevant, Still Ignored)
You’ve probably heard this before, but most servers still don’t follow it.
3 copies of data
- Production
- Backup 1
- Backup 2
2 different storage types
- Example: Local disk + cloud storage
1 offsite
- Different data center / cloud region
Real-world example
- Primary server (VM)
- Local backup on attached disk
- Cloud backup (Acronis / S3 / Object Storage)
If ransomware hits your server, local backups are usually compromised too. Offsite saves you.
2. Never Trust “Backup Success” — Test Restores
A green “Backup completed successfully” message means nothing.
What actually goes wrong
- Corrupted backup chains
- Missing permissions
- Incompatible OS/kernel
- Encryption keys lost
- Restore takes 12 hours (business already down)
What you should do
- Test restore monthly
-
Restore to:
- A test VM
- A different location
-
Validate:
- Files open
- Database starts
- Application runs
👉 A backup you haven’t restored is not a backup.
3. Separate Backup Access from Server Access
This is critical and often missed.
Bad practice
- Same root credentials for server and backup agent
- Backup console accessible from server network
Good practice
- Separate credentials
- MFA on backup console
- Backup storage not mountable from server
- Immutable backups (if supported)
Ransomware loves shared credentials.
4. Use the Right Backup Type (Not Just Full Backups)
What works in real life
- Weekly full backup
- Daily incremental
-
Application-aware backups for:
- MySQL / PostgreSQL
- MSSQL
- Exchange
Why?
- Faster backups
- Faster restores
- Less storage cost
Blind file-level backups for databases = silent data corruption waiting to happen.
5. Define Retention Like a Grown-Up
“Keep backups forever” sounds safe—until storage fills up.
A practical retention policy
- Daily: 7 days
- Weekly: 4 weeks
- Monthly: 6–12 months
Adjust based on:
- Compliance
- Data change rate
- Business importance
Also make sure old backups actually delete. Many systems fail silently here.
6. Monitor Backups Like Production Services
If your backup fails and no one knows, it’s already too late.
Monitor:
- Backup job failures
- Storage usage
- Backup duration spikes
- Missing recovery points
Alerts should go to:
- Slack / Teams
- Pager (for critical servers)
Treat backups as production infrastructure, not a side task.
7. Know Your RPO and RTO (Before Disaster)
Ask these questions before an incident:
-
RPO (Recovery Point Objective):
- How much data loss is acceptable?
- 1 hour? 24 hours?
-
RTO (Recovery Time Objective):
- How fast must systems be back?
- 30 minutes? 4 hours?
Your backup frequency and storage choice should be based on these answers—not guesswork.
8. Don’t Forget Configuration Backups
Everyone backs up data.
Few back up configuration.
You should also back up:
/etc- Web server configs
- Firewall rules
- Cron jobs
- Environment variables
- Load balancer configs
Rebuilding a server is easy.
Rebuilding it exactly as before is not.
9. Document the Restore Process
During an outage:
- People panic
- Senior engineers are unavailable
- Simple steps get missed
Have a restore runbook:
- Where backups are
- Credentials location
- Step-by-step restore
- Contact escalation
Documentation turns chaos into recovery.
The Bottom Line
Most backup failures are not technical.
They’re process failures.
A real backup strategy means:
- Tested restores
- Offsite protection
- Monitoring
- Clear retention
- Clear ownership
Backups are boring—until the day they become the most important system you own.
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