Backups that had never been tested

The situation

There was a backup vendor. There was a dashboard. There was a green check. But in the six years it had run, nobody had pulled back a file or mailbox to see if it actually worked.

This isn't rare. We see it in at least three of every four new Managed IT engagements. "Backups are running" is the most common reassurance, and the least verified.

What we did

Week one: a manual restore test on four different systems, a mailbox, a shared folder, a database record, and a laptop image. Three of four worked. The fourth, a shared folder with all the quote templates, turned out to be retained only 30 days back, not the contracted 90.

Then we set up: a monthly automated restore test on a random file, with logging and an alert on failure. Three-month retention configured to match the contract. A one-page runbook describing what happens when something actually has to be brought back.

What it delivered

After three months:

- 100% of restore attempts successful. - One bug surfaced where a sub-folder wasn't being backed up, fixed before it mattered. - A simple dashboard the director can read in thirty seconds. - Verified retention matching the contract.

No extra license purchased.

What this wasn't

Not a switch to a new backup vendor, the existing one did fine work as long as you held them to their own promises. Not a hundred-page disaster-recovery report. What it was: a runbook a person under pressure can use to bring a file back without calling anyone.