Backup and Restore Policy - SME

The Backup and Restore Policy (P15S) provides a comprehensive approach for ensuring all essential business data is protected against loss and can be recovered swiftly in the event of a disruption. Developed specifically for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this policy acknowledges the structural realities of organizations without complex IT departments, such as lacking dedicated SOC teams or CISOs. Consequently, it assigns major oversight and decision-making responsibilities to the General Manager (GM), making it both practical and compliant with ISO/IEC 27001:2022. At its core, the policy establishes enforceable rules that require regular backup of all critical data, including financial, customer, HR, and business system information across desktops, servers, and cloud applications. The policy is precise about scope, calling for inclusion of backup media like USB drives or cloud-based solutions. It directs all employees with responsibility for handling data, alongside external IT support providers, to rigorously follow the prescribed protocols for backup and secure storage. P15S outlines clear objectives: to ensure all critical data is securely backed up at intervals aligned with risk assessments, to guarantee timely and complete data restoration, and to prevent unauthorized access or tampering through robust encryption and storage control. Roles and responsibilities are clearly delineated, with the GM accountable for policy enforcement, resource allocation, annual reviews, and incident oversight, while IT providers handle technical implementation and reporting. Employees must save work to approved systems only, further reducing risk. The policy mandates a documented Backup Plan detailing what is backed up, frequency, retention rules, and secure deletion guidelines rooted in sister policies. Backups must be performed on set schedules , for example, daily or weekly for financial records, monthly for system configurations, and incrementally for shared files where possible. Critical controls require data to be stored in at least two locations (such as local and cloud), encrypted when offsite, and accessible strictly to authorized personnel. Logs, reports, and periodic testing of restore procedures are mandatory, supporting both operational reliability and audit requirements for standards such as ISO/IEC 27001 and GDPR. Risk and exception management are built in: any deviation, lapse, or technical failure must be documented, justified, and approved by the GM. Prohibited actions like storing critical data on unapproved devices or skipping restore tests are expressly outlined. Annual and incident-driven policy reviews ensure ongoing alignment with legal, regulatory, and technical developments. For issues affecting backup or recovery, escalation and documentation follow the Incident Response Policy (P30S), cementing integrated governance across the SME's information management landscape. This policy thus empowers SMEs to meet international compliance mandates with a structure tailored to their operational realities.