Backup & Business Continuity
It's not enough to have backups; you need to be certain they can be restored. We schedule regular tests to verify the recovery of files, virtual machines, and databases, and measure whether your Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) are realistic.
Backup restore tests are a service where we simulate a data loss event and recover your information from existing backups. The goal isn't just to confirm that a backup was made, but to verify that the data is intact, accessible, and that the recovery process completes within an acceptable timeframe for the business.
This process is fundamental for any business that relies on its data. A backup plan without regular testing is an incomplete strategy that creates a false sense of security. Performing controlled restores allows us to identify weaknesses in the backup chain, refine procedures, and objectively measure your Recovery Time Objective (RTO), ensuring your business can resume operations after an incident.
Who it's for
Restore tests are critical for any organisation that cannot afford to lose information or suffer long periods of downtime. They are especially relevant for companies that:
Service Scope
Our restore testing service is tailored to the scope and criticality of your company's data. Each test follows a defined and documented plan.
Clear Collaboration
The effectiveness of these tests depends on transparent collaboration between your team and ours.
Our technical team plans and executes the restore tests in an isolated environment to avoid impacting production. We measure the timings, document the process, analyse the results, and prepare the final technical report with our conclusions and recommendations.
The client defines the scope of the test (which data or systems are a priority), provides the necessary access to backup systems and the target environment, and validates the integrity of the restored data to confirm the test's success.
If a restore failure is caused by an issue with the backup software or underlying hardware, responsibility for the fix may lie with the vendor. Seintec will manage the incident as your single point of technical contact, but the final resolution may depend on the vendor's support.
Our Method
We follow a structured, four-phase process to ensure every test provides value and is relevant to your business.
We meet with you to understand which systems are critical and define the schedule and objective of the tests (files, VMs, databases).
We document the procedure to be followed, the success criteria, and prepare the isolated restore environment to avoid any impact on production.
Our technical team carries out the restore according to the plan. We time each phase of the process to measure the actual RTO.
We deliver a detailed report with the results, the comparison against the target RTO, and our recommendations. We then review the findings with you.
Our Advantage
Unlike other providers who rely on third parties, at Seintec we control the entire process. We have a technical team with over 15 years of experience and our own data centre in Osona (Barcelona), giving us unique agility and security.
What's not included
This service is focused on verification and reporting. It's important to be clear about what is included and what constitutes an additional service:
If a test fails, we will have achieved a key objective: identifying a problem before a real crisis occurs. Our report will detail the cause of the failure and recommend the next steps for a resolution, which would be managed as a separate support service or project.
No. We design the tests to be run in an isolated, controlled environment, either on your own infrastructure or in our data centre at Sant Miquel de Balenyà. The goal is to never interfere with your daily operations.
The frequency depends on the criticality of your data and changes to your infrastructure. As a starting point, we recommend quarterly or biannual tests for critical systems, and annual tests for less important ones.
RTO stands for 'Recovery Time Objective'. It's the maximum amount of time your business can afford to be without a particular system following an incident. We measure the actual time it takes to restore so you know if your stated RTO is realistic.
Yes. The report provides documented, objective evidence that you are proactively verifying the integrity and recoverability of your backups, which is a common requirement in many cybersecurity and data protection regulations.
Not necessarily. We can perform restore tests on your existing backup system. It's an excellent way to get an external, impartial validation of your current procedures.
Next step
The worst time to discover your backups won't restore is during an emergency. Request an initial free IT review and let's assess the reliability of your backup plan together.
