When it comes to protecting your business's data and operations, it's important to understand the difference between backup and disaster recovery—and why one isn't simply more important than the other. Backup is about making copies of your data so you don't lose it, while disaster recovery is a broader plan that ensures your entire IT environment can be restored quickly after a serious event, like a cyberattack or hardware failure. Both are essential, but disaster recovery focuses on minimizing downtime and getting your business back to normal as fast as possible.
Why this matters for Canadian SMBs
For small and mid-sized businesses in Canada, downtime can be costly. If your systems go offline for hours or days, you risk losing sales, damaging your reputation, and frustrating customers. Data loss can also create compliance risks, especially if you handle personal or financial information subject to Canadian privacy laws. A strong disaster recovery plan reduces these risks by ensuring that backups are not only available but can be quickly restored to keep your team productive and your customers confident.
A practical example
Consider a 50-person accounting firm in Ontario that stores client files and financial data on local servers. One day, a ransomware attack encrypts their files and locks them out of their systems. If they only have backups but no tested disaster recovery plan, they might spend days manually restoring data, reinstalling software, and reconfiguring settings. This downtime could delay tax filings and frustrate clients. However, with a disaster recovery solution in place, their IT partner could quickly switch operations to a cloud environment or standby servers, restoring access within hours and minimizing disruption.
What to check and ask your IT provider
- Backup frequency and scope: How often are backups made, and do they cover all critical data and systems?
- Recovery time objectives (RTO): How quickly can they restore your systems after an incident?
- Recovery point objectives (RPO): How much data loss is acceptable—are backups recent enough to prevent significant loss?
- Testing and validation: How often do they test disaster recovery procedures to ensure they work?
- Security of backup data: Are backups stored securely, ideally offsite or in the cloud, with encryption?
- Integration with cybersecurity measures: Does the plan include protections like multi-factor authentication (MFA) to prevent unauthorized access?
- Documentation and training: Is there clear documentation and staff training on disaster recovery steps?
Simple internal checks you can perform
- Verify that backups are running regularly and that you can access backup files.
- Check where backups are stored—avoid relying solely on local drives vulnerable to theft or damage.
- Review user access controls and password policies to reduce risk of data breaches.
- Ask your team if they know the basics of what to do during an IT outage or data loss event.
In summary, prioritizing disaster recovery over backup—or vice versa—is less important than ensuring they work together as part of a comprehensive plan. Backups are the foundation, but disaster recovery is the strategy that keeps your business running when the unexpected happens. If you're unsure about your current setup, it's a good idea to discuss your needs with a trusted managed IT provider or IT advisor who understands the unique challenges of Canadian small and mid-sized businesses. They can help you design a practical, tested approach that balances data protection with business continuity.