Your backups are probably broken.
I don’t know your name. I haven’t seen your infrastructure. But statistically, I’m probably right.
Here’s why: 34% of companies can’t fully restore their data when they actually need to. Over two-thirds of organizations experienced significant data loss in the past year. And 93% of businesses that lose data for 10+ days go bankrupt within a year.
The brutal truth? Most businesses don’t discover their backups don’t work until disaster strikes—and by then it’s too late.
Not sure if your backups work? Check your backup strategy free – takes 3 minutes, could save your business
The Backup Paradox
Everyone knows backups are important.
Every developer will tell you “yes, we have backups.”
But when I ask “when did you last test restoring from backup?” I get:
- Silence
- “Uh… let me check”
- “The hosting provider handles that”
- “It’s on my todo list”
- “We set it up 2 years ago when we launched”
Translation: Nobody knows if the backups actually work.
The 4 Types of Silent Backup Failures
Your backups can fail in ways you won’t discover until you desperately need them. Let me show you the four types of failures I see constantly:
Type 1: The Incomplete Backup
What your developer thinks is backed up:
- Application code (✓)
- Database (✓)
- User uploads (✓)
- Configuration files (✓)
What’s actually missing:
- Environment variables (database passwords, API keys)
- Server configuration (nginx, SSL certs)
- Cron jobs and scheduled tasks
- Custom scripts outside version control
- Integration credentials
Real scenario: Marcus had “full backups” of his e-commerce site. When his server crashed, restoration took 6 days because critical configuration files weren’t backed up. He lost €18,000 in weekend sales while scrambling to recreate the production environment from memory.
Type 2: The Corrupted Backup
Your backup runs every night. Reports success. File sizes look normal.
But the data inside is corrupted and unusable.
How it happens:
- Database locked during backup (partial data captured)
- Incremental backups with broken chain (can’t restore without missing piece)
- Compression errors that silently fail
- Storage medium degradation (bit rot on drives)
- File system errors during write
Tape backup failures affect 77% of companies that test them. But most never test, so they never know.
The cloud isn’t immune: 85.6% of reported data loss incidents occur in the cloud, with hardware failure rates as high as 9.47% for some storage systems.
Type 3: The Encrypted Backup (Ransomware Ate It)
This is the nightmare scenario that’s becoming terrifyingly common.
The attack pattern:
- Ransomware infects your production systems
- Before encrypting anything, it finds your backups
- It encrypts or deletes your backups first
- Then it encrypts your production data
- Now you have no backups AND encrypted production data
How common is this? 96% of ransomware attacks in 2025 target backup systems. Attackers know if you can restore from backups, you won’t pay the ransom.
Why it works: Your backups are probably stored somewhere accessible to your network:
- Network-attached storage (NAS) on your local network
- Cloud storage with admin credentials stored on compromised servers
- Backup software that runs with admin permissions
- Mapped drives or mounted volumes
If ransomware gets admin access to your systems (which most ransomware does), it can reach your backups.
The solution: Immutable backups—storage that can’t be modified or deleted once written (WORM: Write Once, Read Many). But only 59% of organizations have implemented this despite 81% recognizing it as critical.
Type 4: The Backup You Can’t Actually Restore From
You have backups. They’re complete. They’re not corrupted. They’re offsite and safe.
But when disaster strikes, you can’t restore from them because:
Nobody knows how:
- Only one developer knows the process (and they’re on vacation/quit/unreachable)
- No documentation exists
- Requires credentials nobody can find
- Process changed but documentation didn’t
- “It’s complicated” = “we’re screwed”
Real scenario: Sophie’s startup lost their server during a data center fire. They had backups in AWS S3. Perfect, right? Wrong. The restoration required specific AWS IAM permissions, knowledge of their database schema migration history, and manual configuration steps that only their CTO knew—who had resigned 2 months earlier. 21 days of downtime. Business never recovered.
The restoration environment doesn’t exist:
- Backups are for old server version you’ve since upgraded
- Backup format incompatible with current infrastructure
- Dependencies no longer available
- Restoration requires paid services you’ve since cancelled
It takes too long:
- “We can restore from backup” ≠ “We can restore quickly”
- Multi-terabyte restoration over internet takes days
- During which your business is offline
- And you’re paying for downtime
Organizations typically endure 21-24 days of downtime following ransomware attacks due to complex recovery processes. Only 9% recovered within a day.
The question: How long can your business survive total downtime? Days? Hours?
Why Backups Fail (The Real Reasons)
Let me be honest about why this happens. It’s not because your developer is incompetent or lazy.
Reason 1: Testing Backups Is Tedious Work That Keeps Getting Postponed
Testing backup restoration requires:
- Setting up a test environment separate from production
- Actually running the restoration process
- Verifying data integrity (not just “it restored”)
- Documenting the process and timing
- Fixing any issues discovered
- Updating documentation
This is 4-6 hours of work that provides zero immediate business value. It’s always less urgent than shipping features or fixing bugs customers are complaining about.
So it gets postponed. And postponed. Until disaster strikes and you find out backups don’t work.
Reason 2: “Success” Doesn’t Mean “Working”
Most backup software reports “SUCCESS” when:
- The backup job completed without errors
- Files were written to storage
- The backup file size seems reasonable
It does NOT verify:
- Data is actually restorable
- Restored data is complete and accurate
- Restoration process actually works
- Anyone knows HOW to restore
You need verification, not just completion.
Reason 3: Infrastructure Changes Break Backups Silently
You launched 2 years ago. Backups worked perfectly then.
But since then:
- You upgraded database versions
- Changed hosting providers
- Migrated to cloud
- Added new services and dependencies
- Changed file storage locations
- Updated frameworks and libraries
Nobody retested backups after each change. Now your backups capture old infrastructure that no longer matches production.
Reason 4: Backups Aren’t Monitored Like Production Systems
You monitor:
- Uptime (are servers running?)
- Performance (is site fast?)
- Errors (are users experiencing issues?)
You probably don’t monitor:
- Did backup actually complete successfully?
- Is backed-up data restorable?
- Are backups growing at expected rate?
- When does backup storage run out of space?
- Are backup credentials still valid?
Silent failures accumulate. By the time you notice, you’ve had broken backups for months.
The Real Cost of Backup Failure
Let me translate technical failure into business language: money and survival.
Cost 1: Business Closure
60% of businesses without backups close within 6 months of major data loss. Not “struggle.” Not “recover slowly.” Close permanently.
93% of organizations that experience prolonged data loss go bankrupt within a year.
Data loss isn’t a technical problem. It’s an existential business threat.
Cost 2: Ransom Payments (That Don’t Work)
Average ransom demands in 2025: over $5 million per incident.
But here’s what they don’t tell you: Only 43% of companies recovered three-quarters of their data after paying.
You pay millions and STILL lose data. Plus:
- No guarantee attackers actually give you decryption keys
- Payment doesn’t remove them from your systems
- You’ve funded criminal enterprises
- Legal and regulatory implications
Working backups = you never need to consider paying.
Cost 3: Recovery Attempts
Professional hard drive recovery services cost €5,000-€10,000 with only 55% success rate.
For serious data loss:
- Forensic data recovery: €10,000-€50,000+
- Crisis consultants and emergency support
- Legal fees for breach notification
- Regulatory fines for data loss
- Customer compensation and credit monitoring
One prevented disaster pays for decades of proper backups.
Cost 4: Downtime
The average cost of downtime is $5,600 per minute = $336,000 per hour.
Even for smaller businesses: downtime exceeding $25,000 per hour is common.
- Lost sales
- Lost productivity
- Customer churn
- Brand damage
- Contract penalties
- Employee overtime
Every hour offline compounds the damage.
Cost 5: The Invisible Damage
Numbers don’t capture everything:
- Customer trust: Once lost, nearly impossible to rebuild
- Team morale: Watching the business burn is devastating
- Opportunity cost: While you’re in crisis mode, competitors are moving forward
- Founder burnout: The emotional toll of nearly losing everything
- Reputation: “Remember when their site was down for 3 weeks?”
How to Know If Your Backups Actually Work
Stop guessing. Here’s how to find out before disaster forces the answer on you.
Step 1: Take the Backup Health Check
Our free Backup Health Check evaluates your backup strategy against both the 3-2-1 rule AND 2025’s modern threats:
- 3-2-1 Rule Compliance: 3 copies, 2 media types, 1 offsite
- Ransomware Protection: Immutable storage, air-gapped backups
- Silent Failure Detection: Monitoring and automated alerts
- Compliance: Encryption at rest and in transit
- Bus Factor: Documentation and tested recovery procedures
Takes 3 minutes. Gives you a prioritized action plan.
Step 2: Schedule a Restoration Test This Month
Not “someday.” This month. Put it on the calendar now.
The test:
- Pick one critical dataset (customer database, transaction history)
- Restore it to a test environment (NOT production)
- Verify data integrity (can you actually use it?)
- Time the process (how long did it take?)
- Document every step (could someone else follow this?)
- Note what failed or was difficult
Good result: Restored in under 2 hours, data is complete and usable, process is documented
Concerning result: Took 6+ hours, missing data, nobody else could replicate the process
Failed result: Couldn’t restore, data corrupted, backups inaccessible
Step 3: Ask Your Developer The Critical Questions
Don’t ask “do we have backups?” (answer is always yes)
Ask these instead:
“When did you last test restoring from backup?”
- Good answer: Specific date within last 3-6 months
- Bad answer: “We have backups” (doesn’t answer the question)
“If ransomware encrypted everything tonight, could you restore by tomorrow morning?”
- Good answer: “Yes, here’s the documented process”
- Bad answer: “Probably?” or “I’d need to figure it out”
“Where are backups stored? Can ransomware reach them?”
- Good answer: “Immutable cloud storage, separate credentials, air-gapped”
- Bad answer: “Network drive” or “Same server”
“What happens if you get hit by a bus tomorrow?”
- Good answer: “Documentation is in [location], [person] can restore”
- Bad answer: Nervous laughter
“How long would full restoration take?”
- Good answer: Specific time estimate based on testing
- Bad answer: “Depends” or “Not sure”
See all 50 questions you should ask your developer
Step 4: Implement Backup Monitoring
You monitor production. Why not backups?
What to monitor:
- Backup job completion (did it run?)
- Backup file size (growing as expected?)
- Backup storage capacity (running out of space?)
- Backup age (when was last successful backup?)
- Restoration test results (quarterly verification)
What alerts to set:
- Backup failed to complete
- Backup file size anomaly (too small = incomplete)
- Storage capacity below 20%
- No successful backup in 48 hours
- Scheduled restoration test overdue
The Minimum Viable Backup Strategy
You don’t need perfection. You need protection.
Minimum requirements:
- Automated daily backups (not manual, not “when I remember”)
- Offsite storage (different location than production, ideally different provider)
- Quarterly restoration tests (documented with results)
- Someone besides you knows how to restore (documentation + training)
Better (worth the upgrade):
- Immutable backups (ransomware can’t encrypt them)
- Automated monitoring with alerts (know within 24 hours if backups fail)
- Encryption at rest and in transit (GDPR/compliance requirement)
- Monthly restoration tests (quarterly is minimum, monthly is better)
Best (enterprise-grade):
- Continuous backups (RPO under 1 hour)
- Multiple geographic locations (resilience against regional disasters)
- Automated verification (every backup is tested automatically)
- Documented DR plan tested quarterly (full disaster simulation)
Not sure where you stand? Check your backup health for free
What Most Small Businesses Actually Need
Forget enterprise complexity. Here’s what actually works for most small businesses:
Option 1: Managed Cloud Backup (€50-150/month)
Services like Backblaze, Acronis, or Veeam that:
- Backup automatically daily
- Store offsite in cloud
- Include versioning (restore from any point in time)
- Offer immutable storage option
- Provide monitoring and alerts
- Have documented restoration process
Option 2: Cloud-Native Approach (€100-300/month)
If you’re already on cloud infrastructure:
- AWS Backup or Azure Backup
- Automated snapshots to different region
- S3 Object Lock for immutability
- Lifecycle policies for cost management
- CloudWatch/Monitor alerts
Option 3: Hybrid (€150-250/month)
Best resilience:
- Local NAS for fast restoration (daily)
- Cloud backup for offsite protection (daily)
- Both monitored independently
- Quarterly testing of both systems
The Pattern I See Repeatedly
Every time I audit a failed backup situation, the pattern is identical:
- Backups were set up 1-3 years ago
- They reported “success” every day
- Nobody ever tested restoration
- Infrastructure changed but backups weren’t updated
- Disaster struck (ransomware, hardware failure, human error)
- Restoration failed or took days/weeks
- Business suffered catastrophic damage
The fix: Test your backups BEFORE disaster forces you to.
Start Here
You have three options:
Option A: You Have Time (Do It Yourself)
- Take the Backup Health Check (3 minutes)
- Review the action plan and prioritized recommendations
- Schedule restoration test this month
- Implement monitoring for backup jobs
- Document the restoration process
- Set quarterly reminder to retest
Option B: You Need Confidence Fast (Get Help)
- Take the Backup Health Check (shows gaps)
- Book 30-minute consultation with results
- I’ll review your current setup
- Explain what’s fine vs what needs attention
- Give you specific action plan with costs
- Help you implement if needed
Option C: You Just Discovered Your Backups Don’t Work (Emergency)
Contact me immediately - I’ve helped dozens of businesses fix broken backup strategies before disaster strikes. Better to fix it now than discover the hard way.
Key Takeaways
The Statistics:
- 34% of companies can’t restore their data when they need to
- 67% experienced significant data loss in the past year
- 93% of businesses with prolonged data loss go bankrupt within a year
- 96% of ransomware attacks target backup systems
- 60% of businesses without backups close within 6 months of major data loss
The Four Silent Failures:
- Incomplete Backup (missing critical configuration)
- Corrupted Backup (data written but unusable)
- Encrypted Backup (ransomware found it first)
- Unrestorable Backup (nobody knows how or it takes too long)
What To Do:
- Check your backup strategy for free (3 minutes)
- Schedule restoration test this month
- Ask your developer the critical questions
- Implement backup monitoring and alerts
- Test quarterly (minimum) or monthly (better)
Remember: The time to discover your backups don’t work is NOT during a disaster.
Sources & Further Reading: