Last updated: 9 November 2026
BCDR means business continuity and disaster recovery: backing up your systems and, just as important, being able to run them again quickly when something fails. A good plan decides how much data you can afford to lose (RPO) and how long you can afford to be down (RTO), keeps a copy that ransomware cannot reach, and tests recovery regularly.
The six principles of modern BCDR
Modern BCDR platforms, such as Slide, are built on a handful of ideas. They are worth using as a checklist whichever product you choose.
One place for backup and recovery
Backup, virtualisation and recovery managed together, so nobody pieces a restore together under pressure.
Boot from backup
Start a protected server as a virtual machine, on a local appliance or in the cloud, instead of waiting for a full restore.
Offsite by default
Every backup is also copied to the cloud, so a fire, flood or theft at the office does not take the backups with it.
Isolated and immutable
Backups held apart from the protected machine, where compromised systems cannot alter or delete them.
Encrypted as standard
Data encrypted in transit and at rest, with keys or passphrases you control, not an optional extra.
Every backup verified
Automatic checks that backups can actually be recovered, not just that a job reported success.
RPO and RTO in plain English
| Term | What it answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Backup | Can we get the data back? | Restoring a deleted finance folder |
| Disaster recovery | Can we get the systems back? | Booting the file server from a backup copy after hardware failure |
| Business continuity | Can the business keep working? | Staff using a temporary server and working from home while the office is closed |
A simple plan for a small business
- List your critical systems and put them in order of how quickly each must return.
- Set an RPO and RTO for each one, agreed by the directors, not guessed by IT.
- Keep at least three copies, on two types of storage, with one offsite and one that cannot be changed.
- Protect Microsoft 365 separately. It is a different job from server backup.
- Write down who calls whom, who authorises a failover and how staff are told.
- Test a real restore at least twice a year and fix what you find.
Choosing a BCDR product: what to ask
Marketing pages often say recovery takes minutes. Ask for measured figures instead: recovery time for your own largest server, retention periods, how immutability is enforced, which operating systems and hypervisors are supported, what is included in the price and what the contract terms are.
How ABCOM helps
We design backup and disaster recovery around the RPO and RTO your business actually needs, run scheduled test restores and keep a written recovery plan, working with Acronis and other platforms where they fit. We will explain the trade-offs in plain English before you commit.
Quick answers
What is the difference between backup and disaster recovery?
Backup keeps a copy of your data. Disaster recovery is the ability to bring systems back into service, often by starting them from the backup on other hardware or in the cloud. You need both.
Does BCDR protect us from ransomware?
It can, if at least one copy is isolated from your network and cannot be changed or deleted by an attacker. Backups on a shared drive that ransomware can reach do not count.
How often should we test recovery?
At least twice a year for important systems, and after any major change. Record how long the restore takes so your RTO is a measured figure.
Is the cloud copy enough on its own?
Rarely. A local copy restores large systems faster, and a cloud copy survives a site disaster. Most small businesses benefit from both.
Not sure how long you would be down after a server failure or ransomware? We will help you find out before it happens.
Related answers and guides
- Does Microsoft 365 back up our data?
- How does ransomware work?
- What is an incident response plan?
- All ABCOM FAQs
Sources and further reading
Related questions
- We need to ensure compliance with specific industry regulations. Can you guarantee this?
- We’re concerned about the time it will take to restore our data from your backups during a disaster recovery situation?
- What should we do in the first hour after a cyber attack?
- Do you offer data recovery, and how do I send a drive in?
- What happens if we’re hit by ransomware or a data breach?
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