Business Data Backup Isn’t a Box-Tick – It’s a Continuity Lifeline

Too many organisations still treat data backup as a technical housekeeping task—something for IT to handle quietly in the background. But in today’s threat landscape, where cyberattacks, human error, and regulatory pressures are daily realities, that mindset is no longer sustainable.

According to Datapac’s recent survey* of 200 Irish IT decision-makers, 86% of organisations experienced a cybersecurity incident in the past 12 months, and 76% of those resulted in a data breach. In other words: the risk of data loss isn’t theoretical—it’s already happening.

And it’s not just IT’s problem. Data loss affects every part of the organisation—from finance and legal to operations, sales, and customer experience. Leaders can no longer afford to treat backup and disaster recovery as a check-the-box IT exercise. It needs to be recognised for what it is: a strategic, board-level priority central to business resilience.

Outdated strategies aren’t enough in 2025

For years, the 3-2-1 backup strategy (three copies of data, on two media types, with one offsite) has been considered the gold standard. But while it’s still a useful starting point, it’s no longer enough on its own. Today’s hybrid infrastructures, cloud reliance, ransomware threats, and regulatory pressures demand a far more robust approach.

Irish organisations are increasingly operating in complex IT environments—96% now use hybrid working models, and 67% rely on Microsoft 365 for day-to-day operations. Yet native tools like M365 offer only limited data retention and restoration capabilities. Many leaders wrongly assume their data is fully protected just because it’s in the cloud – that misconception can prove extremely costly.

Closing the gaps on Data Backup

Cloud-first platforms like Microsoft 365 follow a shared responsibility model, meaning that they provide the platform and guarantee uptime and resilience—but data protection is still your responsibility.

An effective SaaS backup strategy must include third-party solutions with:

• Granular recovery (down to individual emails, files or calendars)
• Long-term retention
• Immutable backups to protect against ransomware

But the most important part of your backup system isn’t the technology—it’s the capacity to quickly and effectively recover data in the event of an incident.

Recovery time objectives – How quickly can you bounce back?

Two of the most critical, business-facing questions every organisation should be able to answer:

• How quickly can we get systems up and running after a breach or outage? (Recovery Time Objective)
• How much data could we afford to lose? (Recovery Point Objective)

If the answer is measured in days—or worse, if there is no clear answer—your business continuity plan isn’t just at risk. It’s non-existent. But even if you have clear RTO and RPO goals, knowing them isn’t enough – executing on them under real pressure is the real test.

Its not just about backups – It’s about the plan

Even the most advanced backup systems won’t protect your organisation if no one knows what to do when disaster strikes. A robust business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) strategy goes far beyond technology. It requires clearly defined roles and responsibilities, escalation procedures, and communication protocols. Who triggers the recovery plan? Who contacts third-party providers? Who updates stakeholders?

The worst time to discover your recovery plan doesn’t work is during a live incident. Yet many organisations treat BCDR as a paper exercise—never stress-testing it under real-world conditions. Regular DR testing isn’t just a technical best practice. It’s a business imperative. It reveals gaps, verifies that backups can be restored as expected, and ensures your team knows exactly what to do when every second counts.

Ransomware recovery and immutable backups

The ongoing risk of ransomware and increasingly sophisticated cybercrime makes it essential to have immutable backups — data that cannot be altered or encrypted by malware.

These secure backups ensure that even in a worst-case scenario, your recovery point is clean and accessible. Instant virtualisation features allow organisations to spin up a virtual copy of systems in minutes—a potential lifeline during downtime.

The cost of poor business data backup

Downtime isn’t just inconvenient. It can be eye-wateringly expensive, and it erodes trust with customers and other key stakeholders. Based on recent survey findings:

• 65% of Irish organisations admit they lack the internal skills and resources to handle rising cybercrime threats
• 33% say cybersecurity only becomes a governance issue when required by regulation

That reactive mindset creates a dangerous blind spot. Modern data protection isn’t about backup alone—it’s about recovery readiness, regulatory compliance, and protecting long-term business continuity.

A smarter approach to data backup and protection

To move from reactive backup to proactive resilience, leaders must ensure their organisation:

• Has tested recovery procedures in place
• Protects all critical SaaS data
• Uses immutable, offsite backups
• Aligns RTO/RPO with actual business risk
• Regularly reviews data protection plans with a trusted IT partner

If you’re not 100% confident in your current backup and disaster recovery plan, now is the time to act. Leave your details below to speak with one of our experts to help uncover hidden gaps in your strategy – before they become real business risks.

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