Data Backup and Recovery Policy¶

Document Information
Version	{{version}}
Effective Date	{{effective_date}}
Document Owner	{{document_owner}}
Next Review	{{next_review_date}}
Approved By	{{approved_by}}

Purpose¶

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for ensuring the secure operation of {{company_name}}, hereafter referred to as "the company", information systems and networks, protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our data.

The purpose of this Data Backup and Recovery Policy is to ensure that all critical data and information assets of the company are adequately backed up and can be quickly and effectively recovered in the event of data loss. This is critical to maintaining the continuity of our business operations and fulfilling our regulatory obligations.

The intent of this policy is to establish the direction and principles for the protection of the {{company_name}}'s data against cyber threats and enable continuous improvement of security capability and resilience to emerging and evolving security threats.

Scope¶

This policy applies to all employees, interns, contractors, and third parties who have access to the company\'s information systems and networks.

Backup Procedures¶

Backup procedures are designed to ensure that all critical data is regularly backed up and can be recovered in the event of data loss or a ransomware attack. This is essential to maintaining the continuity of the business operations and protecting our data from threats such as hardware failure, data corruption, and cyber-attacks.

Identification of Critical Data: All data should be evaluated to determine its criticality to the organization. Critical data is data that is essential to the organization\'s operations, to meet regulator obligations and/or that would cause significant disruption to the company if lost.
Frequency of Backups: Backups will be performed {{backup_frequency}} based on the nature and importance of the data. Critical data that changes frequently will be backed up more often than static or less critical data.
Method of Backups: The method of backups should be determined based on the nature and importance of the data, as well as the organization\'s technical capabilities. This could include full backups, incremental backups, or differential backups. The chosen method should ensure that data can be recovered to the required point in time in a timely manner to minimise disruption.
Encryption of Backups: All backups should be encrypted to protect the confidentiality of the data. The encryption should use a strong encryption algorithm and secure key management practices.
Storage of Backups: Backups should be stored in a secure location that is separate from the original data. This could include off-site storage or cloud storage. The chosen location should protect the backups from physical threats, such as fire or theft, as well as cyber threats.
Testing of Backups: Restoring from a backup should be tested {{backup_test_frequency}} to ensure that they are successful, and that data can be recovered from them. This should include a test restore of the data and should be documented/logged (this can be a IT support ticket).

Recovery Procedures¶

Recovery procedures are to ensure that data can be effectively and efficiently recovered from backups in the event of data loss. This is essential to maintaining the continuity of our business operations and minimizing the impact of data loss incidents.

Documentation of Recovery Procedures: The company should have documented procedures for recovering data from backups. These procedures should detail the steps to be taken in the event of data loss, including how to identify the cause of the data loss, how to select the appropriate backup for recovery, and how to perform the recovery.
Testing of Recovery Procedures: Recovery procedures should be tested {{recovery_test_frequency}} to ensure that they are effective. This should include performing a test recovery of data from a backup and verifying the integrity of the recovered data. The testing should also verify that data can be recovered within the required timeframes, known as Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs).
Training on Recovery Procedures: All relevant staff, such as IT staff and data owners, should be trained on the recovery procedures. This training should ensure that staff are familiar with the procedures and are able to perform them effectively in the event of data loss.
Review and Update of Recovery Procedures: Recovery procedures should be reviewed and updated {{incident_review_frequency}}, or as needed based on changes to the organization\'s data, technology, or business requirements. This should ensure that the procedures remain effective and relevant.

Cloud Backup and Recovery¶

Cloud backup and recovery is to ensure that the company\'s use of cloud services for data backup and recovery provides adequate security measures to protect our data. This is essential to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our data in the cloud.

Selection of Cloud Services: The company should carefully evaluate cloud services before using them for data backup and recovery. This evaluation should consider the security measures provided by the service, the service\'s compliance with relevant security standards and regulations, and the service\'s ability to meet the company\'s backup and recovery requirements.
Data Encryption: All data backed up to the cloud should be encrypted both at rest and in transit. This includes the use of strong encryption algorithms and secure key management practices. The encryption keys should be controlled by the company and should not be accessible to the cloud service provider or other unauthorized parties.
Access Controls: Access to data and backups in the cloud should be controlled based on the principle of least privilege. Users should only be granted the access privileges that are necessary for their job functions. Access privileges should be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary.
Compliance with Security Standards and Regulations: All cloud services used by the company for data backup and recovery should comply with relevant security standards and regulations. This includes ISO 27001 or similar and any other standards or regulations.
Monitoring and Auditing: The company should monitor its use of cloud services for security incidents and anomalies. This includes regular security audits, vulnerability assessments, and monitoring for unusual activity. The company should also ensure that it has access to the necessary logs and other data to support this monitoring and auditing.

Backup and Recovery Responsibilities¶

Backup and recovery responsibilities are to ensure that all roles and responsibilities related to data backup and recovery are clearly understood and effectively carried out. This is essential to maintaining the continuity of our business operations and protecting our data from loss.

{{it_provider}} Responsibilities: The {{it_provider}} is responsible for implementing and maintaining the company\'s data backup and recovery procedures. This includes selecting and configuring backup and recovery solutions, performing regular backups, testing backups for recoverability, monitoring the backup and recovery process, and responding to backup or recovery failures. The {{it_provider}} is also responsible for training users on the backup and recovery procedures and for providing support to users during the recovery process.
User Responsibilities: All users are responsible for ensuring that their critical data is stored in the cloud so that it will be backed up in accordance with the company\'s backup and recovery procedures. Users are also responsible for cooperating with {{it_provider}} during the recovery process and for reporting any data loss incidents as soon as they are discovered.

Staff Responsibilities¶

Staff (including interns and contractors) are expected to uphold the expected standards of professional conduct and comply with this policy in its entirety.

All staff must read, understand, and comply with all components of this policy, and all laws, and regulations that apply to their role.

Staff should speak up when seeing possible violations of the policies, and legal and regulatory requirements.
Be truthful, and cooperate fully in any internal investigations, and not conceal or destroy information.
Staff should ensure they complete training on the policies, and attest that they are understand and commit to comply with them.
Failing to read or attest to the policies does not excuse staff from these responsibilities.

Review¶

This policy will be reviewed {{default_policy_review}} or as needed based on changes to our business, technology, or regulatory environment.

Enforcement & Waivers¶

These policies are important to us. Violation may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Only by consent of the {{company_name}}'s board of directors a provision of the policies for a staff member may be waivered.

Essential Eight Alignment¶

This policy supports:

Regular Backups - Core focus of this policy
Restrict Administrative Privileges - For backup system access

Target Maturity: {{e8_target_maturity}}

Implementation Check¶

Who owns this? {{policy_owner}}
Are we doing it? {{implementation_status}}
When will we check again? {{next_review_date}}

Board Oversight¶

Key Questions for Directors:

Are we meeting our policy commitments?
What are our top risks in this area?
Do we have adequate resources allocated?

Reporting: {{board_reporting_cycle}} review at board meetings