# 07. Backup and recovery policy > **Template.** Part of the open-source [AI App Policy Kit](https://www.puglieseweb.com/ai-policy-kit), version 1.0. Replace everything in [square brackets], delete what does not apply, and have the person who runs the business approve it. A starting point, not legal advice. | | | |---|---| | **Business** | [Business name] | | **Document owner** | [Name and role] | | **Approved by, and date** | [Name], [date] | | **Next review** | [Date, at most 12 months on] | ## Why this matters A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a plan. Apps built quickly often run on one database with whatever backup the platform switched on by default, and nobody has checked that it can be brought back. ## Who it covers Every system that holds data [Business name] could not easily recreate: the app's database, uploaded files, source code, configuration, and the documents and email the business runs on. ## The rules 1. **List what must be backed up** in the table below, with how much you can afford to lose and how long you can be without it. 2. **Back up automatically.** Daily at least for the database. Nobody has to remember. 3. **Keep three copies, in two places, one of them elsewhere.** The live data, a backup with the same provider, and a copy in a different account or with a different provider. 4. **Protect backups from deletion.** At least one copy cannot be changed or deleted by the app's own login, or by a single person, for [30] days. This is the copy that survives ransomware and mistakes. 5. **Encrypt backups** and limit who can read them. A backup holds everything the database holds. 6. **Test a restore every [3 or 6] months.** Restore to a separate place, check the data opens and is complete, and record how long it took. 7. **Keep backups only as long as needed.** Backups hold personal data, so their life is part of the retention schedule (document 10). 8. **Code and configuration are backed up too.** The source code is on a code host, and the set-up of the cloud account is written down or kept as code, so the app can be rebuilt from nothing. 9. **Write the recovery steps down** where they can be read when the systems are down. ## What is backed up | System | How often | Where the copies are | Protected from deletion? | Most data we can lose | Longest time down | Kept for | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | App database | [Daily, plus point-in-time] | [Provider; second account] | [Yes, 30 days] | [1 hour] | [4 hours] | [35 days] | | Uploaded files | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | | Source code | [Every change] | [Code host; mirror] | [ ] | [None] | [1 day] | [ ] | | Documents and email | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | ## Restore test log | Date | System | Restored by | Time taken | Data complete? | Problems found and fixed | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | [Date] | [App database] | [Name] | [40 minutes] | [Yes] | [ ] | ## Recovery steps 1. [Who decides to restore, and how to reach them.] 2. [Where the backups are and which login opens them.] 3. [The steps to restore the database to a new instance.] 4. [How to point the app at the restored data.] 5. [How to check the app works, and who tells customers.] ## Checklist - [ ] Every system in the table has an automatic backup. - [ ] One copy is in a different account or with a different provider. - [ ] One copy cannot be deleted by the app or by one person alone. - [ ] A restore was tested on schedule and the time taken is within "longest time down". - [ ] The recovery steps were followed by someone other than their author. ## References - NCSC, *Small Business Guide: Backing up your data* and *Offline backups in an online world*. --- AI App Policy Kit, version 1.0. © 2026 PuglieseWeb LTD, licensed under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): use it, change it and share it, with credit. The whole kit, and a free Software Health Check of your app against it: