Backups are not the goal
The goal of a backup is a successful restore. Teams obsess over backup jobs succeeding but rarely verify that the data can actually be brought back. A backup that cannot be restored is worthless, and you usually discover this during a real disaster.
Common ways restores fail
- Corrupt or incomplete backups that the backup job reported as successful.
- Missing pieces like the schema, encryption keys, or configuration needed to use the data.
- Untested procedures so the runbook steps no longer match reality.
- Too slow: the restore works but takes far longer than the RTO allows.
Test it like you mean it
- Run periodic restore drills that recover into a clean environment and verify the data.
- Measure restore time so you know your true RTO, not your hoped for one.
- Practice point in time recovery to a specific moment, not just the latest snapshot.
Defending against corruption
Replication copies bad data too. If a bug or attacker corrupts records, replicas faithfully replicate the corruption. Immutable or versioned backups that cannot be overwritten let you recover to a known good point before the damage.
Key idea
Only a tested restore proves a backup works, so drill restores regularly and keep immutable copies against corruption.