What We Protect
- Servers (physical & virtual)
- Workstations & laptops
- Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace
What Is Backup & Disaster Recovery?
Backup and disaster recovery (BDR) is the combination of copying your business data somewhere safe (backup) and having a tested plan to get your systems working again after something goes wrong (recovery). A backup that has never been restored is a guess, not a plan. The "disaster recovery" half is what turns stored data into a working system again within a timeframe your business can actually survive.
Done right, BDR covers more than files: it includes servers, workstations, cloud application data like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, encryption of that data both in transit and at rest, and documented recovery point and recovery time objectives (RPO/RTO) so everyone knows exactly how much data loss and downtime to expect in a worst case.
How System Alternatives Helps
We design a 3-2-1 backup strategy for your environment (three copies of your data, on two different types of media, with one copy offsite) and encrypt it in transit and at rest. Backup jobs are monitored as part of our standard 24/7 monitoring, so a failed or skipped backup gets caught the same day, not discovered during an actual emergency. Most importantly, we run periodic test restores and document the results, so "the backups are working" is something we can prove, not merely assert.
How It Works
- 3-2-1 strategy with offsite copies
- Encryption in transit & at rest
- Automated job verification
Recovery-Ready
- Documented RPO/RTO targets
- Periodic test restores
- Written incident runbook
What's Included
Backup Coverage
- Server & workstation image backups
- Cloud application data (M365/Google)
- Configurable retention schedules
Monitoring & Verification
- Daily job success/failure monitoring
- Automated alerts on skipped backups
- Documented test restore results
Recovery Planning
- Written RPO/RTO targets per system
- Step-by-step incident runbook
- Insurance & audit-ready documentation
Who This Service Is For
BDR is essential for any business that can't afford to lose a day of data or operate without its systems for long, which in practice is nearly every small and mid-size business today. It's especially critical for businesses with cyber-insurance policies that require documented, tested backups as a condition of coverage, companies in regulated industries like finance or healthcare, manufacturers where downtime directly costs production, and any organization that has already experienced a close call with ransomware or hardware failure and doesn't want to find out the hard way that their old backup process didn't actually work.
Why Businesses Choose System Alternatives
The difference between a backup that works and one that only looks like it works is testing, and testing is the step most businesses skip because it's tedious and easy to defer. We build documented test restores into every backup engagement, so when we tell you your backups are trusted, we mean we've actually restored data from them; a dashboard turning green isn't enough on its own. As a local Portland-area team serving Oregon and Washington since 2008, we're also the people you call at 2 a.m. if something does go wrong, not a support queue in another time zone.
Service Area
System Alternatives provides backup and disaster recovery services for businesses throughout the Portland metro area, Oregon, and Washington, with both on-site support and fully remote-managed backup coverage available.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's included in a backup and disaster recovery plan?
- A full plan covers backups of your servers, workstations, and cloud application data like Microsoft 365, encrypted in transit and at rest, plus a written recovery plan with documented RPO/RTO targets and a step-by-step incident runbook. We also run periodic test restores so the plan is proven, not theoretical.
- How is this different from just having a backup?
- A backup is a copy of your data. Disaster recovery is the tested plan and process for turning that copy back into a working system within a known timeframe. Many businesses have backups that have never actually been restored, which means they don't really know if recovery will work until it's too late.
- How often should backups be tested?
- We recommend periodic test restores on a documented schedule rather than a one-time check, because backup configurations, software, and business-critical systems change over time. The right frequency depends on how critical the system is, and we'll recommend a schedule as part of your backup review.
- Does this help with cyber-insurance requirements?
- Yes. Most cyber-insurance policies now require documented, tested backups as a condition of coverage or a factor in premium pricing. We provide the documentation and test-restore evidence insurers typically ask for during underwriting or after a claim.
- How much does backup and disaster recovery cost?
- Pricing depends on the amount of data, number of systems, and how aggressive your recovery time targets are. We'll review your environment and current backup setup, then provide a quote scoped to what you actually need protected.
- Does System Alternatives serve Portland, Oregon, and Washington?
- Yes. We provide backup and disaster recovery services for businesses throughout the Portland metro area, Oregon, and Washington, with remote-managed backup coverage available anywhere in our service area.