I don’t usually ask this question directly when talking to Small-to-Medium Businesses (SMBs), but I often walk through a few questions and scenarios to see if their backup is truly providing the protection they think it is. 
Spoiler alert: 99% of the time, it’s not. 

So let’s break down what a backup really is — and how that differs from a Business Backup, Disaster Recovery, and Continuity (BDR) solution. This might be a long one, so buckle up. 

What Is a Backup? 

We all know backups are needed, and most believe they’re the silver bullet to “stick it to” threat actors when ransomware hits. 

A backup is designed to protect your data and store it securely — whether that’s onsite, offsite, or in the cloud. It’s essentially an insurance policy for your information. When the inevitable happens, you’ll (hopefully) have a usable copy of your data to restore from. 

What Makes a Good Backup Solution? 

Here are a few key questions to start your evaluation: 

• Who is going to manage and test the backups? 
• Where are your backups stored? (Onsite, offsite, or cloud-based?) 
• How much data loss can your business tolerate? (This is known as your Recovery Point Objective, or RPO.) 

These aren’t the only considerations, but they’re three of the most critical. They help illustrate why choosing the right solution — and maintaining it properly — matters so much. 

And here’s the reality check: 

50% of SMBs struggle to even locate their backups during an incident, 
and 31% fail to recover their data after a ransomware attack. 

We all know backups are important — yet many businesses set them and forget them, trusting they’ll “just work” when needed. Unfortunately, that’s rarely the case. A backup solution still needs to be tested, verified, and monitored. 

So yes, a backup is your safety net. But when disaster strikes, ask yourself: what happens next? 

When Backup Isn’t Enough 

Let’s say the unthinkable happens — your environment goes down. You know where your backups are, they’ve been tested, and they’re ready to use… 
but where do you actually put that data while your systems are being rebuilt? 

That’s where Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity come into play. 

A business continuity solution goes beyond just backing up data. It provides a way to keep your business up and running even while disaster recovery is in progress. 

Adding the “Time” Factor 

We still use those same core backup questions — Who? Where? How much data loss? — but we add one more: 
How much time loss can your business afford? 

That’s your Recovery Time Objective (RTO) — the amount of downtime your organization can handle before it starts costing you real money. 
It’s not just about lost revenue — it’s about payroll, lost productivity, client trust, and reputation. Once you know your true downtime cost, you can determine which continuity solution best fits your business. 

How Continuity Works 

Continuity systems often use technologies like system imaging, virtualization, and automatic failover to spin up your servers or workstations in minutes. 

That means your employees can keep working while your main systems are repaired or replaced. In other words, we finally have a place to put that backup data — and your business stays running through it all. 

✅ In short: 

• Backup = Data protection. 
• Continuity = Business protection. 

Both are critical — but only one keeps your business operating when disaster strikes. 

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