Backups & recovery
Last updated: July 19, 2026
What we back up
- Email, calendars, and files in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace — the built-in recycle bin is not a backup, so we run one separately.
- Servers, whether in your office or in the cloud, including their settings and databases.
- Workstations, where your plan includes it — ask us if you are not sure.
- Websites and databases we host or manage for you.
- Network and firewall configurations, so hardware failure does not mean rebuilding from memory.
How often backups run
Cloud email and files are backed up multiple times per day. Servers are backed up at least nightly, and critical systems more often. Backups are stored encrypted, in a separate location from the systems they protect, so one incident cannot take out both the original and the copy.
How we verify backups actually work
A backup you have never restored from is a hope, not a plan. Automated checks confirm every job completed each day, and a technician reviews failures every business morning. Each month we perform test restores of sample data, and each quarter we run a larger recovery drill. Verification results are included in your quarterly review.
How to request a restore
- Open a ticket in the HelpDesk portal with the word “restore” in the subject.
- Tell us what is missing: the file, folder, mailbox, or system.
- Tell us the last time you know it was good — “it was fine Tuesday afternoon” is genuinely helpful.
- Tell us where to put it: back in place, or in a separate folder so nothing gets overwritten.
- If people are stopped from working, call (931) 355-7256 instead of waiting on a ticket.
Most single-file and mailbox restores are completed the same business day.
RPO and RTO in plain English
Two acronyms are worth knowing. RPO (recovery point objective) is how much recent work you could lose — if backups run nightly, a crash at 4 p.m. could lose that day’s changes. RTO (recovery time objective) is how long until you are running again. Your specific targets are set in your agreement; typical targets are an RPO of 24 hours or less and an RTO measured in hours for critical systems, not days. If you do not know your numbers, ask — it is a five-minute conversation.
What we do not back up
- Personal devices that are not enrolled in management.
- Files saved only to a local desktop outside synced folders — keep work in the company file system.
- Third-party apps (accounting, CRM, industry software) unless we have set that up specifically. If a system matters and you are unsure, ask.
Questions
Not sure whether something is covered? Open a ticket and ask — before you need the restore, not after.