Backups explained

Why backups are indispensable

There are few things that land an organisation in trouble as quickly as a website that has vanished. The causes are rarely spectacular: a failed update, a folder deleted by mistake, a faulty hard disk or an infection. In every one of those cases, a recent backup is the difference between an hour of inconvenience and weeks of redoing work. So do not see a backup as an optional extra, but as a basic necessity.

What should a backup contain?

A complete backup consists of two parts, both of which you need:

• The filesPages, images, documents, style sheets and any CMS software.
• The databaseWith a CMS this holds all the texts, settings, users and posts.

If the database is missing you have an empty shell; if the files are missing you have text without any styling. And do not forget your email: it is often stored separately. A static HTML website has no database, which means a backup simply consists of the files.

How often and how long should you keep them?

The rule of thumb: decide how much work you can afford to lose. For most business websites a daily automatic backup is enough. If you publish a lot or run a webshop with orders, more often is sensible. Also keep several points in time from the past — for example the last week plus a few older copies. That is essential, because an infection is sometimes only discovered days later, and by then the most recent backup may already be affected.

Do not keep everything in one place

A backup that sits only on the same server as your website does not protect you against problems with that server. So make sure a copy is kept off the server as well. The well-known guideline is three copies, on two different types of storage, one of which is at another location.

Test whether restoring really works

This is the step that is skipped most often. A backup that has never been restored is an assumption, not a certainty. Files may be incomplete or the process may have stopped quietly. Check periodically whether a restore actually succeeds and whether the site is complete afterwards. Automation is convenient, but checking remains necessary.

Backups in the event of a hack

With an infected website, a clean backup is often the quickest way back. Do make sure you choose a version from before the infection, and that you close the underlying vulnerability — otherwise the problem will simply return. You can read how to tackle such a situation step by step in website hacked: what now. Backups are part of regular website maintenance; with our web hosting and our maintenance package we arrange this as standard.