Untested Restore Assumptions
Everyone assumes nightly backups are running, but nobody has actually tested restoring a server or mailbox.
CLOSED BY DATA ACCOUNTABILITY
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MANAGED BACKUP — MICROSOFT 365, SERVERS & VMS
SERVICE FAMILY: RECOVER
If data is lost or encrypted, who’s accountable for getting it back?
THE WRITTEN PROMISE
Your data protected and restorable under a defined backup service, so ‘is it backed up?’ has a definite answer.
100% Written Scope Boundary
3 Tiers START · CORE · STRATEGIC
Named Senior Ownership
Designated Layer Mandate
Data Accountability
Contract Family
RECOVER
Delivery Model
Outcome-Based · Fixed Tier
Boundary Status
Inclusions & Exclusions Written
Escalation Point
Senior Cape Town Engineers
OPERATIONAL DIAGNOSTIC
Signs nobody owns this yet
Baseline Microsoft 365 backup may sit inside User Accountability CORE, but full data protection across servers, VMs, and extended retention requires a clear, separate commitment.
The Microsoft 365 Myth
Microsoft 365 is treated as its own backup — until a retention window expires or ransomware encrypts synced OneDrive files.
CLOSED BY DATA ACCOUNTABILITY
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Unknown Retention Depth
Nobody can state with certainty how far back you can actually go if data corruption is discovered weeks later.
CLOSED BY DATA ACCOUNTABILITY
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WRITTEN SCOPE ARCHITECTURE
What we own — and what stays separate.
Ambiguity is where IT partnerships break down. We publish both what is included in Data Accountability and what is scoped separately so your team never discovers a gap mid-incident.
[!] WHAT STAYS SEPARATE, AND WHY
Scoped separately: Disaster recovery · recovery-time (RTO) and recovery-point (RPO) commitments · recovery orchestration · retention beyond the contracted scope.
Backup protects copies of your data; orchestrating your entire business back online within a guaranteed timeframe is contracted under Recovery Accountability.
CONTRACTED INCLUSIONS (4 CORE MANDATES)
FAMILY: RECOVER
- Microsoft 365 backup: Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams protected on an independent third-party platform
- Server and virtual-machine backup with managed backup storage
- Application and configuration data backup within contracted scope
- Restores on request — with optional scheduled restore testing to verify data integrity
OPERATIONAL REALITY CHECK
Coverage and ownership are not the same thing.
GOOD TO KNOW // OPERATIONAL BOUNDARY RULE
Backup is not disaster recovery. Backup protects data; it doesn’t promise your business is running again by a set time. That’s Recovery Accountability →. Servers must be under a Server Accountability → tier first.
SERVICE TIER ARCHITECTURE
Data Accountability Options
Scoped per workload across Microsoft 365 tenants, servers, and recovery verification levels.
CLOUD WORKLOADS
Microsoft 365 Backup
Per-user backup of Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams.
Independent third-party backup protecting mail, files, and collaboration data beyond native Microsoft recycle bins.
INFRASTRUCTURE
RECOMMENDED
Server Backup
Per-server backup including managed storage.
Protects physical servers, virtual machines, and critical application data with monitored, immutable-ready storage.
VERIFICATION DEPTH
Recovery Levels
Basic (manual restores) → Standard (scheduled restore testing) → Advanced (orchestrated, via Recovery Accountability).
Choose whether restores are performed reactively on request or verified on a scheduled testing cadence.
Our services are deliberately modular. Network, backup, security depth, server and cloud are separate commercial decisions — never bundled implicitly into per-user pricing.
CONNECTED ACCOUNTABILITY LAYERS
What connects with Data Accountability
Every layer is modular by design and integrates cleanly with adjacent operational responsibilities.
QUESTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS
Data Accountability FAQs
What is the difference between Data Accountability and Recovery Accountability?
Data Accountability guarantees recoverable backup copies of your files, mailboxes, and servers. Recovery Accountability governs how fast and in what order your entire business is brought back online during a major disaster against agreed RPO/RTO targets.
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