Backup and Recovery Policy
Establishes requirements for data backup frequency, retention, testing, and restoration to protect against data loss.
I. Overview
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flowchart LR
A["Ad-hoc, unverified\nsystem backups"] -- "Need for guaranteed recovery\nwithin defined limits" --> B["Formal Backup\nand Recovery Policy"]
style A fill:#f9f9f9,stroke:#333,stroke-width:3px
style B fill:#e1f5fe,stroke:#01579b,stroke-width:3px
Definition: A Backup and Recovery Policy is the document that defines what data must be backed up, how often, where copies are stored, and how restoration is tested and executed.
Features:
( Ownership ) Jointly owned by IT operations, who run the backups, and the CISO or GRC team, who set the risk-driven requirements.
( Coverage Assurance ) Prevents backup coverage from drifting, where some systems end up backed up inconsistently or not at all.
( Early Discovery ) Surfaces gaps before an actual incident, rather than after it is too late to correct.
( Restoration Testing ) Requires that restoration procedures are tested and executed, not just that backups are taken.
II. Structure & Process
sequenceDiagram
participant IT as "IT Operations"
participant Security as "Security/GRC Team"
participant Committee as "ISMS Steering Committee"
participant Auditor as "Internal Audit"
IT->>Security: "Propose backup schedule and RPO/RTO targets"
Security->>Committee: "Submit policy for approval"
Committee->>IT: "Approve and mandate testing cadence"
IT->>IT: "Run scheduled test restorations"
IT->>Auditor: "Provide test-restore evidence for review"
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Scope of Systems | Which systems and data stores are covered, prioritized by business criticality. |
| Backup Frequency | How often backups run — continuous, daily, weekly — per system tier. |
| Recovery Point Objective (RPO) | Maximum acceptable data loss, measured in time, per system. |
| Recovery Time Objective (RTO) | Maximum acceptable downtime before restoration, per system. |
| Retention Period | How long backup copies are kept before rotation or deletion. |
| Storage & Offsite Requirements | Onsite vs. offsite/cloud copies, encryption at rest, and geographic separation. |
| Restoration Testing | Frequency and method of test restores to validate backup integrity. |
| Incident Escalation | Who authorizes and executes a restoration during an active incident. |
IT operations proposes technical parameters, security/GRC validates them against business impact analysis, and the ISMS steering committee approves the policy. Test restorations are logged as evidence and reviewed by internal audit; the policy itself is reviewed annually or after any recovery failure.
III. Best Practices & Comparison
| Document | Primary Purpose | Review Cadence | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backup and Recovery Policy | Guarantee recoverability of data and systems | Annual | IT operations, CISO / GRC team |
| Information Classification Policy | Define sensitivity tiers that drive backup encryption needs | Annual or on data inventory change | Data owners, security team |
| ISMS Policy | Set the overarching management-system framework | Annual | CISO |
- Set RPO/RTO per system tier based on business impact, not a single blanket target for everything.
- Test restorations on a fixed schedule; an untested backup is an unverified assumption.
- Keep at least one backup copy offsite or air-gapped to survive ransomware that targets connected backups.
- Encrypt backup data at rest and in transit, especially for offsite and cloud copies.
- Document and rehearse the restoration escalation path so recovery isn’t improvised during an incident.
Related: ISMS Policy, Disposal and Destruction Policy.
Last updated 18 Aug 2026, 00:00 UTC.