We learned the hard way: a system worked fine until we tried a restore. Support said, "Working as designed!" Always test your backups. Seriously. #SystemRestore #DataBackup #TechFails #ITNightmare
Remember feeling like a failure? Give an honest assessment. It's okay if you recommended the system. You can't get there from here if you don't address that. Honesty is key. #Honesty #Failure #Assessment #GrowthMindset
From shell scripts and tape drives to realizing the limits of DIY solutions. It's okay to admit when things break—even if you built it. Honesty is the only path forward. Learn more! #TechDebt #Honesty #ProblemSolving #EngineeringLife
RTO isn't just about restoration—it starts the instant an outage hits. Problem detection is critical because the symptom might mask the root cause. Understanding scope and getting approvals are vital too. #RTO #OutageDetection #IncidentResponse #ITRecovery
Why can't businesses recover quickly from disasters? Often, their backup systems can't meet recovery time objectives (RTOs). Plus, they don't test restores realistically! Don't just restore one file. #DisasterRecovery #Backup #RTO #ITSecurity #DataRecovery
Doing frequent testing improves runbooks and decision trees. Tabletop exercises at lunch keep it low stress. Cross-train teams so you aren't relying on one person. Measure and report reality; let leadership decide what to do. #Runbooks #DecisionTrees #CrossTraining #Leadership
Your Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is your *desire*—not a guarantee. It's not just restoring data; it's procuring servers, activating directories, and ensuring the app is fully functional for users. #RTO #RecoveryTime #DataRecovery #BackupAdmin #CloudBackup
RTO is hotly debated. Is it situational? Yes! Ransomware attack? Data center wiped out? Your recovery time changes. Don't tell your app admin recovery is 2 weeks! #RTO #DataRecovery #Ransomware #DisasterRecovery #ITSecurity
During a Rackspace outage, avoid altering recovery protocols mid-process. Stick to tested methods to prevent delays and complications, potentially saving months of recovery time. #Rackspace #DataRecovery #CloudOutage #ITBestPractices
Thinking about RTO? Consider this: Do you need to restore ALL your data to get your app running? Perhaps a subset will suffice for initial access, with the rest backfilled later. #RTO #DataRestoration #DisasterRecovery #CloudStrategy
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) – are you living in a fantasy? If you haven't tested your recovery plan, you can't meet your RTO! Get real about recovery times and avoid that sinking feeling. #RTO #RecoveryTime #ITRecovery #DataBackup #DisasterRecovery
Implementing new tech to shorten RTO? Going from 10 hours to 10 minutes changes everything—and takes time. Is that extra speed really worth it? Justify the need! #RTO #TechImplementation #BusinessStrategy #DisasterRecovery
Financial firms must quantify downtime costs—like $1 billion per hour. This data empowers backup/DR teams to enhance systems. Realistic RTO targets & iterative improvements are key. #FinancialTrading #Banking #DataRecovery #RTO #DowntimeCosts
The backup admin doesn't decide the Recovery Time Objective (RTO)—the business unit does. Downtime costs money or reputation. RTO calculations? Management's job, not yours. #RTO #BackupAdmin #SysAdmin #DataRecovery
Don't trust RTO documentation! If you haven't tested your recovery plan, you can't meet it. Why are most organizations unable to recover in time? Testing, testing, testing! #RTO #RecoveryTime #DataRecovery #BackupAdmin
Automated testing is key for success. Regular, small tests are preferred over infrequent, large ones. DR drills and chaos engineering help catch changes and dependencies. Keep a recovery mindset! #AutomatedTesting #DRDrills #ChaosEngineering #Cybersecurity
Most IT teams can't meet their recovery time objective—and they don't even know it. In this episode of The Backup Wrap-up, Curtis and Prasanna explain why your RTO is probably fantasy, who should actually be setting it (hint: not you), and what recovery time actual really means. We cover the…
Your recovery time objective is probably a lie, and here's how to fix it. Most organizations can't meet their stated RTO because they've never actually tested it. In this episode of The Backup Wrap-up, W. Curtis Preston (Mr. Backup) and Prasanna Malaiyandi break down the hard truth about recovery time…
Ransomware detection requires the right tools and expertise—but where do you start? In this episode, cybersecurity expert Mike Saylor reveals what really works. Think your organization is safe from ransomware? Think again. The average small to medium-sized business faces constant threats from sophisticated attackers who know exactly how to slip…
An ArcGIS hack by Flax Typhoon went undetected for 12 months by hiding malware in legitimate extensions. We break down how it happened and how to prevent it. In this episode of The Backup Wrap-up, we dissect one of the most troubling security incidents of the year: a sophisticated ArcGIS…
Deepfake attacks are the fastest-growing threat to business security. Learn how to defend against AI-powered voice cloning and video fraud before your company loses millions. Nearly 50% of businesses have already been targeted by deepfake attacks, and the numbers are only getting worse. In this episode, Curtis and Prasanna break…
Cyber attack notification can make or break your company's response to a security incident. Learn why transparency beats secrecy and how poor communication amplifies breach damage. In this episode of The Backup Wrap-Up, W. Curtis Preston (Mr. Backup) and Prasanna Malaiyandi break down the critical cyber attack notification strategies every…
Insider threats are responsible for some of the most devastating data breaches - learn the 3 types you need to protect against and how immutable backups can save your company when traditional security fails. In this episode, we break down the insider threat problem using examples from Mr. Robot Season…
While you're here, Here's some great episodes from this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZGn5xlYTec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHz5hGZy0nY&t=2s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov834MWoBXg&t=2s This YouTube channel is also available as an audio podcast! https://www.backupwrapup.com We also have a blog that I've been running for over 20 years! https://www.backupcentral.com I've also written four O'Reilly books! My latest: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Data-Protection-Recoverability-Workloads-ebook/dp/B093TQTBC3