Checklist: Testing and Securing Your Data Restorations (ISO/IEC 27031 Compliant)
This operational checklist is designed to help organizations align their backup and restoration practices with the recommendations of ISO/IEC 27031, the standard dedicated to information system continuity.
🧭 1. Planning (PLAN)
- Identify critical IT assets (VMs, databases, configurations, business tools)
- Define recovery objectives (RTO/RPO) for each asset type
- Assess relevant threats (hardware failures, cyberattacks, human error, etc.)
- Develop a backup/restoration policy integrated into the Business Continuity Plan (BCP)
- Assign responsibilities (who triggers, who validates, who restores?)
⚙️ 2. Implementation (DO)
- Establish a backup strategy with versioning and isolation (physical or logical)
- Document step-by-step restoration procedures (with screenshots or scripts)
- Automate testing in a pre-production or isolated environment
- Implement notifications and logging for successes/failures
- Provide post-restoration verification scripts (hashes, ACLs, mounts, services)
🧪 3. Verification (CHECK)
- Perform regular tests (monthly, quarterly or upon infrastructure changes)
- Measure gaps between theoretical and actual RTO/RPO
- Validate the integrity of restored data (application tests, business validations)
- Archive restoration test reports (logs, screenshots, comments)
- Evaluate errors or difficulties encountered (compatibility, permissions, latency, etc.)
🔁 4. Continuous Improvement (ACT)
- Correct obsolete or inaccurate procedures or scripts
- Revise RTO/RPO thresholds if necessary (due to business or infrastructure changes)
- Update documentation with each evolution (software, hardware, organizational)
- Capture lessons learned and integrate them into audits
- Regularly raise awareness among teams (technical and business) about real restoration scenarios
📌 Key Takeaways
An untested backup is an illusion of security. A well-executed partial test is better than a perfect plan never put to the test.