Data Backup and Disaster Recovery for Arizona SMBs | CTS

Question 1

What's CTS's approach to data backup architecture?

Accepted Answer

We deploy the 3-2-1 backup architecture — three copies of every dataset, on two different media types, with at least one off-site and immutable. Primary backup runs through Veeam for on-premise systems and Axcient for cloud-based infrastructure. Backup integrity is verified daily through automated test restores. Retention policies are tuned to your industry's regulatory requirements — HIPAA, GLBA, financial, or general business — and documented in IT Glue.

Question 2

How fast can CTS restore our data after a failure?

Accepted Answer

Recovery time depends on the scope of failure. Single-file restores complete in minutes. Server-level restores typically run within hours. Full disaster recovery scenarios — where we rebuild your environment in alternate infrastructure — follow your documented RTO (Recovery Time Objective) targets. For typical scenarios, hours not days. For catastrophic events, the playbook is tested and the timelines are documented before they're needed.

Question 3

Are backups protected from ransomware?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Immutable backup storage means even an administrator account can't delete or encrypt backup data within the retention window. That's the architectural defense against ransomware attacks that target backup systems specifically — a common pattern in modern ransomware operations. Combined with Datto EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) and ransomware rollback at the endpoint layer, we have multiple recovery paths before the $15,000 commitment ever needs to activate.

Question 4

Does CTS back up Microsoft 365 data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Microsoft 365 data — email, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams — is NOT backed up by Microsoft in the way most businesses assume. Microsoft handles infrastructure reliability; they don't protect against accidental deletion, ransomware encryption of synced files, departing employee data loss, or retention beyond their built-in limits. CTS deploys dedicated Microsoft 365 backup with separate retention, granular restore, and immutable storage — addressing the gaps in Microsoft's native protections.

Question 5

How often are backups tested?

Accepted Answer

Backup integrity is verified daily through automated test restores. Full disaster recovery testing runs annually — actual failover of production systems to alternate infrastructure, validation that data is intact, application functionality confirmed, and recovery time measured against your stated RTO. The test report identifies any gaps and feeds remediation into the next quarter's work. Untested backups tend to fail when you need them; tested backups work.

Question 6

What's the $15,000 ransomware recovery commitment?

Accepted Answer

If your business experiences a ransomware attack while actively under CTS management, we commit up to $15,000 toward recovery — forensics, threat eradication, system restoration, and post-incident analysis. The commitment is in writing in your Statement of Work (SOW). It's one of 17 written guarantees we put in every contract. The commitment exists because we're confident enough in our backup architecture and security stack to put real money behind the outcome.

Data Backup and Disaster Recovery

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