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7 Rules Even The Most Basic Backup & Disaster Recovery Plan Must Follow

August 28, 2026 Guides & Playbooks

Backup and Disaster Recovery guide with seven essential BDR rules

Download the Backup & Disaster Recovery Guide

A disaster does not have to be a hurricane or major cyberattack. Hardware failures, human error, ransomware, and other everyday incidents can interrupt business operations and create costly downtime. Download the guide to learn seven fundamental rules for building a stronger Backup & Disaster Recovery plan and get a practical checklist you can use to evaluate your current approach.

Topics Covered

The 3-2-1 Backup Rule

Learn why business files should have at least three copies, stored on two different types of media, with at least one copy located outside your office.

Disaster Recovery Planning

Understand why employees need clear instructions for responding to an IT disaster and how a BDR handbook can help guide that response.

Scalability

Learn what to consider when evaluating the storage capacity and flexibility of a BDR plan so it can continue supporting your business as your needs change.

Backup Security

Explore why cybersecurity is just as important as recovery and why backups need protection against threats such as ransomware.

RPO & RTO

Understand Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs), including how they relate to acceptable data loss and downtime.

Testing Your BDR Plan

Learn why Backup & Disaster Recovery plans need to be routinely reviewed, tested, and updated rather than created once and forgotten.

Overview

Prepare Your Business for IT Disruptions

A Backup & Disaster Recovery plan helps your business prepare for more than major disasters. Cyberattacks, hardware failures, hazardous weather, and simple human errors can all cause downtime and interrupt normal operations.

This guide walks through seven core rules for building a BDR plan, from following the 3-2-1 backup rule and securing your data to defining recovery objectives and regularly testing your plan. It also includes a seven-point checklist for evaluating your current BDR strategy or a potential provider.

What You’ll Learn

Get a practical framework for evaluating the strength of your Backup & Disaster Recovery plan.

You’ll learn how to structure backups using the 3-2-1 rule, prepare employees for disruptions, plan for future growth, protect backups from security threats, establish RPOs and RTOs, and routinely test your recovery strategy. The guide also provides a seven-point checklist you can use to review your existing plan.