Backup_Recovery_Policy.md

May 24, 2026 · View on GitHub

💾 Hack23 AB — Backup & Recovery Policy

🛡️ Business Impact-Driven Data Protection Framework
🎯 Systematic Backup Strategy Aligned with Business Continuity Requirements

📋 Document Owner: CEO | 📄 Version: 1.2 | 📅 Last Updated: 2026-01-25 (UTC)
🔄 Review Cycle: Semi-Annual | ⏰ Next Review: 2026-07-25

🎯 Purpose Statement

🏢 Hack23 AB's backup and recovery policy demonstrates how 🔧 systematic data protection directly enables both operational resilience and competitive advantage. Our 📊 business impact-driven backup strategy serves as both operational necessity and 👥 client demonstration of our cybersecurity consulting methodologies.

This policy establishes mandatory backup requirements based on 🏷️ Classification Framework business impact analysis, ensuring data protection aligns with business value and continuity objectives.

— 👨‍💼 James Pether Sörling, CEO/Founder

📊 Business Impact-Driven Backup Framework

🎯 Business Impact Analysis Integration

Our backup strategy is directly driven by business impact assessment from the 🏷️ Classification Framework, ensuring resource allocation matches business value and regulatory requirements:

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graph TD
    subgraph BIA["📊 Business Impact Analysis"]
        FIN["💰 Financial Impact<br/>Revenue & Cost Impact"]
        OPS["⚙️ Operational Impact<br/>Service Disruption"]
        REP["🤝 Reputational Impact<br/>Trust & Brand"]
        REG["⚖️ Regulatory Impact<br/>Compliance Risk"]
    end
    
    subgraph BACKUP["💾 Backup Requirements"]
        CRITICAL["🔴 Critical Backup<br/>Real-time/Continuous"]
        HIGH["🟠 High Priority<br/>Hourly/Daily"]
        MEDIUM["🟡 Medium Priority<br/>Daily/Weekly"]
        STANDARD["🟢 Standard Backup<br/>Weekly/Monthly"]
    end
    
    subgraph BUSINESS["🏢 Business Functions"]
        CORE["🏗️ Core Operations<br/>Revenue Generation"]
        FINANCE["💰 Financial Systems<br/>Compliance Critical"]
        SUPPORT["🛠️ Support Functions<br/>Business Enablement"]
        ADMIN["📋 Administrative<br/>Record Keeping"]
    end
    
    FIN -->|Very High/Critical| CRITICAL
    OPS -->|Critical| CRITICAL
    REG -->|Critical| CRITICAL
    
    FIN -->|High/Moderate| HIGH
    OPS -->|High| HIGH
    REP -->|High/Moderate| HIGH
    REG -->|High| HIGH
    
    FIN -->|Moderate/Low| MEDIUM
    OPS -->|Moderate| MEDIUM
    REP -->|Moderate/Low| MEDIUM
    
    REP -->|Low/Negligible| STANDARD
    REG -->|Low/Negligible| STANDARD
    
    CRITICAL --> CORE
    CRITICAL --> FINANCE
    HIGH --> CORE
    HIGH --> FINANCE
    MEDIUM --> SUPPORT
    STANDARD --> ADMIN
    
    style BIA fill:#1565C0
    style BACKUP fill:#FF9800
    style BUSINESS fill:#4CAF50

📈 Business Impact-Based Backup Matrix

Business Function	💾 Backup Priority	⏰ RTO Target	🔄 RPO Target
🏗️ Core Operations	🔴 Critical	< 1 hour	< 15 minutes
💰 Financial Systems	🔴 Critical	< 1 hour	< 15 minutes
🔧 Support Functions	🟠 High	1-4 hours	1-4 hours
📋 Administrative	🟡 Medium	4-24 hours	4-24 hours
📢 Marketing	🟢 Standard	> 24 hours	> 24 hours

🎯 Backup Requirements by Business Function

🔴 Critical Business Functions

Business Impact Criteria: Critical functions require immediate backup and recovery capabilities due to:

Daily revenue loss potential
Complete service disruption
Compliance violations

Mandatory Requirements:

Backup Frequency: Continuous replication or maximum 15-minute intervals
Recovery Time:
Data Loss:
Storage: Multi-region with immutable backup capabilities
Validation: Real-time integrity verification
Testing: Monthly full recovery validation

🟠 High Priority Business Functions

Business Impact Criteria: High-priority functions require robust backup due to:

Significant daily revenue impact
Major service degradation
Significant regulatory penalties

Standard Requirements:

Backup Frequency: Hourly or maximum 4-hour intervals
Recovery Time:
Data Loss:
Storage: Cross-region with encryption
Validation: Daily automated testing
Testing: Quarterly recovery drills

🟡 Medium Priority Business Functions

Business Impact Criteria: Medium-priority functions have moderate backup requirements:

Moderate financial impact
Partial operational impact
Minor regulatory implications

Standard Requirements:

Backup Frequency: Daily backups
Recovery Time:
Data Loss:
Storage: Single region with versioning
Validation: Weekly integrity verification
Testing: Semi-annual recovery validation

🟢 Standard Business Functions

Business Impact Criteria: Standard functions have basic backup needs:

Minimal financial impact
Minor operational disruption
Minimal regulatory risk

Minimum Requirements:

Backup Frequency: Weekly or as operationally needed
Recovery Time:
Data Loss:
Storage: Standard backup with basic retention
Validation: Monthly spot verification
Testing: Annual recovery validation

🔧 Technical Implementation Requirements

💰 Financial Systems Implementation

Process Classification:

Technical Requirements: Reference SUPPLIER.md for detailed supplier backup capabilities and SLA requirements.

System Category	Technical Implementation	Recovery Method	Compliance Notes
Banking Platform	Provider real-time backup + immutable storage	Provider managed failover + manual procedures	PCI DSS, audit trail requirements
Accounting System	Daily automated export + provider backup	Data import + manual reconciliation	Tax authority, audit requirements
Payment Gateway	Provider managed + transaction logging	Provider PCI compliance procedures	PCI DSS Level 1 requirements

🔧 Operations & Technology Implementation

Process Classification:

Technical Requirements: Reference Asset Register for complete infrastructure inventory and dependencies.

System Category	Technical Implementation	Recovery Method	Documentation
Cloud Infrastructure	Multi-region snapshots + automated backups	Infrastructure as Code restoration	Business Continuity Plan
Development Platform	Git repositories + local mirrors	Git restore + CI/CD rebuild	Secure Development Policy
CI/CD Pipeline	Configuration as code + artifact storage	Automated deployment restoration	Pipeline documentation

📢 Marketing & Communications Implementation

Process Classification:

Technical Requirements: Reference SUPPLIER.md for marketing platform backup capabilities and data export procedures.

System Category	Technical Implementation	Recovery Method	Alternative Options
Content Assets	Weekly platform export + version control	Manual import + reconstruction	Multiple platform strategy
Social Media Platforms	Platform-native backup + screenshot archive	Manual account recreation	Alternative platforms available
Marketing Tools	Configuration export + process documentation	Manual setup + alternative tools	Vendor diversity approach

📊 Backup Performance and Monitoring

🎯 Key Performance Indicators

Metric Category	KPI	Target	Measurement Method	Escalation Threshold
Backup Success	Completion Rate	99.9%	Automated monitoring	<99% for 2 consecutive days
Recovery Time	RTO Achievement	95% within target	Test results tracking	<90% achievement rate
Data Integrity	Verification Success	100%	Automated validation	Any integrity failure
Storage Efficiency	Deduplication Ratio	>70%	Storage analytics	<60% efficiency

🚨 Monitoring and Alerting

Real-time Monitoring Requirements:

Backup job completion status
Storage capacity utilization
Data integrity verification results
Recovery test performance
Cross-region replication status

Alert Escalation Matrix:

Severity	Response Time	Notification Method	Responsible Party
Critical	Immediate	SMS + Email + Slack	CEO
High	15 minutes	Email + Slack	CEO
Medium	1 hour	Email	CEO
Low	4 hours	Email digest	CEO

🧪 Testing and Validation Framework

📅 Recovery Testing Schedule

Based on business impact classification from Classification Framework:

Business Impact Level	Test Frequency	Test Scope	Success Criteria	Documentation Required
🔴 Critical	Monthly	Full system recovery	100% RTO/RPO compliance	Complete test report
🟠 High	Quarterly	Component recovery	95% RTO/RPO compliance	Test summary
🟡 Medium	Semi-annual	Data integrity validation	90% data verification	Test checklist
🟢 Standard	Annual	Spot check recovery	80% successful restoration	Basic test log

📊 Testing Methodology

Test Types and Procedures:

Restore Testing: Full data restoration verification
Recovery Time Testing: RTO/RPO measurement validation
Integrity Testing: Data corruption detection and correction
Failover Testing: Backup system activation procedures
Process Testing: Manual procedure verification

🔄 Integration with Business Continuity

📋 BCP Integration Points

This policy directly supports Business Continuity Plan recovery objectives:

Business Function	BCP Priority	Backup Strategy	Success Metrics	Integration Points
🏗️ Core Operations	Critical	Real-time replication	99.9% RTO achievement	Automatic failover procedures
💰 Financial Systems	Critical	Immutable + cross-region	100% regulatory compliance	Manual failover procedures
🔧 Support Functions	High	Daily + validation	95% RTO achievement	Standard recovery procedures
📋 Administrative	Medium	Weekly + verification	90% RTO achievement	Best-effort recovery

🚨 Escalation Integration

Reference Business Continuity Plan for complete escalation procedures and Risk Register for risk treatment alignment.

Backup Failure Escalation Matrix:

Critical Systems: Immediate BCP activation
High Priority: Urgent response procedures
Standard Systems: Normal incident response

🔐 Strategic & Governance

🎯 Information Security Strategy — AI-first operations, Pentagon framework, and strategic resilience direction
🔐 Information Security Policy — Security framework and AI-First Operations Governance
🤖 AI Policy — AI agent governance for backup automation and validation
🏷️ Classification Framework — Business impact definitions, RTO/RPO classifications

🔄 Business Continuity Framework

🔄 Business Continuity Plan — Business recovery procedures and escalation matrices
🆘 Disaster Recovery Plan — Technical recovery procedures and AWS resilience
🚨 Incident Response Plan — Backup failure incident procedures and escalation

⚙️ Operational Integration

💻 Asset Register — Asset inventory and business impact classifications
📊 Security Metrics — Backup performance measurement and KPI tracking
🔒 Cryptography Policy — Backup encryption and key management
🤝 Third Party Management — Supplier backup obligations and SLAs
🔗 SUPPLIER.md — Detailed supplier assessments and recovery SLAs

📋 Document Control:
✅ Approved by: James Pether Sörling, CEO
📤 Distribution: Public
🏷️ Classification:
📅 Effective Date: 2026-01-25
⏰ Next Review: 2026-07-25
🎯 Framework Compliance: