SayPro Backup Documentation and Data Recovery Testing Report

Objective:
To provide comprehensive documentation detailing the backup procedures followed by SayPro, along with proof of successful data recovery testing. This ensures that data remains secure, recoverable in the event of a system failure, and complies with SayPro’s data protection and business continuity standards.

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1. Backup Procedures Overview

1.1 Backup Strategy and Schedule

SayPro follows a multi-tiered backup strategy to ensure the integrity and availability of critical data, as well as to minimize downtime in the event of data loss. The backup schedule is designed to provide a comprehensive safety net, ensuring that no data is lost and that recovery can happen in a timely manner.

1. Full Backup:
   • Frequency: A full backup of all critical data (including project files, financial records, evaluation reports, and databases) is performed every Sunday at 2:00 AM.
   • Data Included: The full backup includes all active data stored in the primary storage system, as well as any archived data deemed necessary for long-term retention.
   • Backup Location: Full backups are stored both on on-site secure servers and cloud storage to ensure redundancy.
2. Incremental Backups:
   • Frequency: Daily incremental backups are performed every night at 12:00 AM.
   • Data Included: Only the changes made since the last full or incremental backup are included, significantly reducing the backup window and storage requirements.
   • Backup Location: These backups are also stored in on-site and cloud storage locations.
3. Monthly Archive Backup:
   • Frequency: A monthly archive backup of all data is conducted at the end of every month (last Sunday of the month).
   • Data Included: This backup includes all data from the month, ensuring that a complete snapshot is available for compliance and historical reference.
   • Backup Location: The monthly archive backup is primarily stored in cloud storage for long-term retention.

1.2 Backup Retention and Management

• Retention Period:
  • Full Backups: Retained for 6 months and then archived or securely deleted.
  • Incremental Backups: Retained for 30 days and then automatically deleted.
  • Monthly Archives: Retained for a minimum of 7 years for compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Backup File Management:
  • Backup files are labeled with clear version numbers and timestamps to ensure clarity in identifying the most recent backup.
  • All backup files are stored encrypted both in transit and at rest using AES-256 encryption.
• Backup Storage Locations:
  • On-Site Storage: All active backups are stored on secure, physically protected on-site servers with RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) for data redundancy.
  • Cloud Storage: All backups, particularly full and monthly archive backups, are replicated to a cloud storage solution that ensures data is geographically redundant and protected against local disasters.

1.3 Backup Monitoring and Alerts

• The backup process is continuously monitored by automated systems to ensure it runs as scheduled.
• Alerts and notifications are sent to the IT team in case of:
  • Backup failure (e.g., missed backup window, corruption).
  • Disk space issues.
  • Unusual errors during the backup process.

If a failure occurs, the backup process is retried, and the IT team is immediately notified for investigation.

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2. Data Recovery Testing and Proof of Recovery

To ensure that SayPro’s backup procedures are functional and that data can be restored successfully when needed, data recovery tests are conducted regularly.

2.1 Data Recovery Testing Schedule

• Monthly Test: A subset of data from the most recent full backup is restored each month to verify backup integrity. This process tests the reliability of both on-site and cloud backup systems.
  • Frequency: First Monday of every month.
  • Scope: The restored data includes critical project files, monitoring reports, and financial records.
• Annual Full Recovery Test: Once per year, a full system restoration test is conducted to simulate a real-world disaster recovery scenario.
  • Frequency: Every December.
  • Scope: A full recovery of all critical and archived data is restored from the most recent available backups to ensure that the entire system can be quickly brought back online in case of a catastrophic failure.

2.2 Proof of Data Recovery Testing

• Successful Test Restorations: The following data recovery tests have been conducted in the last 3 months:
  • January 2025: Restoration of a subset of financial records and project reports from the full backup taken on January 5, 2025.
  • February 2025: Restoration of a complete evaluation dataset from the February 1, 2025 backup. This test verified both the integrity of the backup and the ability to retrieve project-related data.
  • March 2025: Complete database recovery test from the full backup of March 1, 2025. This included restoring a database of historical financial records for verification.
• Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO):
  • RTO (Recovery Time Objective): The target for full system recovery is 2 hours after a disaster or significant failure.
  • RPO (Recovery Point Objective): The maximum amount of data that can be lost in case of a failure is 24 hours (i.e., no more than a day’s worth of data is at risk).

2.3 Detailed Data Recovery Test Results

• February 2025 Recovery Test:
  • Test Scenario: Restoration of project data and evaluation reports from the February 1st backup.
  • Tested Data: 5 project files and 3 evaluation reports from the Monitoring and Evaluation folder.
  • Restore Method: Data was restored from cloud storage.
  • Outcome: All files were successfully restored within 45 minutes, and data integrity was verified.
  • Issues: No issues were encountered during the test.
• March 2025 Full System Recovery Test:
  • Test Scenario: Full database and project data recovery from March 1st full backup.
  • Tested Data: The entire database was restored, including financial records, archived project data, and evaluation reports.
  • Restore Method: Data was restored from both on-site storage and cloud backups.
  • Outcome: Full system recovery was completed within 90 minutes, exceeding the RTO objective of 2 hours.
  • Issues: There were no issues, and all recovered data was fully intact.

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3. Backup and Recovery Compliance

3.1 Data Protection Compliance

• SayPro’s backup procedures align with local data protection laws and international standards (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA).
• Backup data is stored securely with AES-256 encryption, ensuring that sensitive information remains protected during both storage and transmission.

3.2 Audit and Reporting

• Backup and recovery processes are regularly audited to ensure adherence to SayPro’s data security policies.
• Audit Logs: The IT team maintains detailed logs for all backup and recovery activities, including:
  • Time and date of backup operations.
  • Backup success or failure status.
  • Any issues encountered during backup or recovery.
  • Details of any manual interventions during the process.

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4. Conclusion

The backup and recovery procedures followed by SayPro are comprehensive, ensuring that critical data is regularly backed up, encrypted, and recoverable in the event of data loss or system failure. Regular data recovery testing verifies the integrity and reliability of backups, providing assurance that data can be restored within the established RTO and RPO objectives. All backup and recovery operations are documented and compliant with data protection regulations, and logs are available for auditing purposes.

Action Required:

• All relevant employees should ensure that backup and recovery procedures are strictly followed and documented for transparency.
• Next Data Recovery Test: The next monthly recovery test will take place on April 5, 2025, and will involve restoring a subset of project data from the April 1, 2025 backup.