Automatic, off the server
Files and databases backed up on a schedule, stored away from the machine they came from. A backup on the same server is not a backup.
Services / Backups & Recovery
A backup you've never restoredis a hope, not a backup.
Automated backups, disaster recovery and incident response.
Almost everyone has backups of some kind. Far fewer have ever restored one, and that is the only test that counts. We set backups up so they run without anyone remembering to do it, keep them somewhere separate from the thing being backed up, and check that they actually come back.
What you get
Restores that get tested
We restore from backup deliberately, so the first attempt isn't happening on the worst day of your year.
Retention that suits the risk
Enough history to survive damage you don't notice for a fortnight, which is the usual shape of a ransomware or corruption problem.
A written recovery order
What gets brought back first, who does what, and what "working again" means. Decisions made calmly in advance, not invented under pressure.
Mail and cloud data included
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace keep your mail available. That is not the same as keeping a copy you can restore after a deletion.
A real person on the bad day
Incident work: contain it, restore, find out how it happened, close it, and tell you the truth about all four.
How it works
- Decide what actually mattersThe database, the uploads, the mail, the documents. Not everything needs the same protection, and pretending it does makes backups expensive and slow.
- Set the tolerancesHow much work you can afford to lose, and how long you can be down. Those two answers determine everything else.
- Automate itScheduled, monitored, and alerting when a run fails. Silent failure is the normal way backups die.
- Test a restoreBring it back somewhere safe and confirm the site or system actually runs from it.
- Write the plan downOne page, in plain English, that someone else could follow if you were unreachable.
Left alone, this is how it goes
What we get called about
None of these are hypothetical. They are the calls that come in, and every one of them is cheaper to prevent than to fix.
- The backup has been failing for eight months and nobody was told.
- The only copy is on the server that just died.
- You restore the files but not the database, and the site comes back empty.
- Ransomware encrypts the live data and the backup drive attached to it.
- Someone deletes a mailbox, and the retention window expired before anyone noticed.
Questions we get asked
How often should backups run?
It depends on how much work you could afford to redo. A brochure site that changes monthly is fine on a daily backup. A shop taking orders all day is not.
Doesn't Microsoft 365 back up our email?
Not in the way most people assume. Microsoft keeps the service running and protects against their own failures. Recovering something you deleted months ago, or after an account compromise, is your responsibility and needs a separate backup.
How quickly can you restore a site?
It depends on size and what broke, and anyone who quotes you a number before seeing the setup is guessing. What we can promise is that we'll have tested it beforehand, so we know rather than hope.
Where are the backups kept?
Separate from the live system, and we'll tell you exactly where and who can reach them. If you need them in a particular country for compliance reasons, say so at the start.
Got a technical mess?
Excellent. We like those.
Tell us what's going on. You'll hear back from a real person at Purple Imp.