10 Common Mistakes Federal Agencies Should Avoid in Backup and Recovery Strategies

3. Storing Backups in a Single Location

Mistake: Keeping backups onsite or in the same cloud as production

Impact: Physical disasters, ransomware or cloud outages can destroy both live and backup data.

Solution: Use the 3-2-1 rule — three copies of data, two different media, one offsite (or immutable/cloud-based).

4. Overlooking Cloud and Software as a Service Backup Needs

Mistake: Believing cloud services (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace) automatically back up all data

Impact: Accidental deletions, ransomware or retention policy expirations may lead to permanent loss.

Solution: Use third-party backup solutions tailored for SaaS applications.

5. Not Accounting for Ransomware and Malware

Mistake: Allowing backups to be exposed to the same network as production systems

Impact: Backups could be encrypted or deleted during a cyberattack.

Solution: Use immutable storage, air-gapped backups and backup segmentation.

6. Neglecting Backup Security and Access Controls

Mistake: Failing to limit or monitor who has access to backup systems

Impact: Insider threats or credential theft can lead to data manipulation or deletion.

Solution: Enforce strong access controls, multifactor authentication and regular audit trails on backup systems.

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7. Underestimating the Complexity of Recovery

Mistake: Focusing too much on backup and not enough on recovery workflows

Impact: There may be extended downtime due to slow, manual or unclear recovery processes.

Solution: Document and regularly rehearse disaster recovery playbooks.

8. Ignoring Compliance and Legal Retention Requirements

Mistake: Backups don’t meet industry or legal data retention standards, e.g., HIPAA, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, etc.

Impact: There may be fines, legal consequences or an inability to respond to audits or legal holds.

Solution: Ensure backup policies align with regulatory and industry-specific requirements.

9. Improper Versioning and Retention Policies

Mistake: Keeping too few versions or retaining all data indefinitely

Impact: You may not be able to roll back to a clean version, and storage costs can be high.

Solution: Implement smart retention policies based on data criticality and change frequency.

10. Failing To Train Staff and Communicate Recovery Plans

Mistake: Making IT aware of the recovery plan, but not other departments

Impact: There may be confusion and delays during incidents.

Solution: Include all relevant stakeholders in disaster recovery planning and training.

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Backup and Recovery Best Practices

1. Align a backup strategy with disaster recovery and business continuity.

Aside from correcting common mistakes, federal agencies also must think more broadly about how backup and recovery fits into their larger resilience strategy.

Organizations can do this by ensuring that backup processes support defined RTOs and RPOs while integrating seamlessly into broader response workflows. This alignment ensures rapid, reliable data restoration that minimizes downtime and meets both operational and compliance requirements.

2. Use immutability to protect backups from ransomware attacks.

Having an immutable backup copy ensures that data cannot be altered or deleted, even by ransomware or malicious actors, providing a secure, tamper-proof version for recovery. This safeguards critical data and enables reliable restoration without paying a ransom or relying on compromised systems.

3. Understand the differences between built-in immutability versus add-on solutions.

Built-in immutability is natively integrated into the backup platform or storage system, offering seamless protection with optimized performance and management. In contrast, add-on solutions provide immutability through external tools or layers, which may increase complexity and require additional configuration, monitoring or compatibility considerations.

4. Keep your data protection strategy aligned with evolving compliance standards.

Organizations ensure their data protection strategy keeps up with evolving compliance standards by regularly reviewing and updating policies, technologies and processes to align with current regulations. They also conduct audits, engage in staff training and leverage tools that support compliance features such as encryption, retention and access controls.

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5. Seek support if facing difficulty managing compliance before serious challenges arise.

The government faces some of the most stringent requirements for backup and data protection. Officials must follow strict regulations such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, HIPAA and more. These regulations mandate secure data handling, long-term retention, auditability and rapid recovery to protect sensitive or mission-critical information.

6. Implement a clean room environment to strengthen recovery and security.

A “clean room” in recovery refers to a secure, isolated environment where organizations can safely restore and analyze backup data without the risk of reintroducing malware, ransomware or other threats into the production environment.

As cyberattacks — especially ransomware — become more sophisticated, there’s a growing risk that backup data may also be infected. A clean room allows IT teams to validate backups, scan for malware and test recovery processes in a quarantined setting before full restoration. This reduces the risk of reinfection and ensures a safer, more controlled recovery, making it a critical part of modern cyber resilience strategies.