Back-Up & Disaster Recovery · Calgary & Alberta
Backups you can count on when it matters
We make sure copies of your important files and systems exist, work and can be brought back quickly. If equipment fails, someone deletes the wrong folder or a cyber attack hits, your business can get back to work.
Backup, explained
What is backup and disaster recovery?
Backup means keeping copies of your files, email and systems somewhere safe. Disaster recovery is the plan for using those copies to get the business running again after something goes wrong. That could be a failed server, a flooded office, a stolen laptop or ransomware (software that locks your files until you pay). You need both. A backup without a recovery plan is a box of parts with no instructions.
Here's what we see most often. A business thinks it has backups because someone set them up years ago. Then something breaks, and it turns out the backups stopped working months back, or they don't include the files that matter, or restoring them would take a week. By then it's an expensive lesson.
We take that guesswork away. We set up backups that match how your business works, watch them every day and test that they can actually be restored. We also help you decide how quickly each part of the business needs to be back up, and what an outage would really cost you. Then we build the plan around those answers.
It also helps to think about what downtime really costs. Picture your team unable to open files for two days. Projects stall, invoices don't go out and clients start asking questions. For most businesses, that cost is far higher than the cost of good backups. Looking at it that way makes it much easier to decide how much protection makes sense.
What changes for you
What it protects for your business
Less downtime
When something fails, you'll have a plan and working copies ready to go. That shortens the time your people sit waiting and your clients wait on you.
Files you can get back
Deleted the wrong folder? Overwrote a contract? We can usually bring back earlier versions, so a simple mistake doesn't cost days of rework.
A plan for the worst day
You'll know what happens if the office is unavailable or a cyber attack locks your systems. Everyone knows their part, and the business keeps moving.
Fewer insurance headaches
Many cyber insurance providers ask about backups and recovery plans. We help you answer those questions honestly and meet what they expect.
When things go wrong
A bad day shouldn't turn into a bad month. Your business should be able to get its files back and keep serving clients.
What’s included
What we take care of
Good backup and recovery is mostly about the boring, regular work nobody wants to do. We do it for you. What's included depends on your systems, your risks and how long the business can afford to be down. Here's what it usually covers.
Finding what matters most
We start by working out which systems and files the business can't run without. Accounting, project files, client records, email and line-of-business software usually top the list. Knowing that tells us what to protect first and what needs the fastest recovery.
Backups that run on their own
We set up backups that run automatically on a schedule, so nobody has to remember to do it. Copies are kept in more than one place, including off-site, so a single fire, flood or break-in can't take out both your systems and your backups.
Daily backup checks
Backups fail quietly. A full drive, a changed password or a software update can stop them without anyone noticing. We check backup results every day and fix problems as they come up, before the day you actually need them.
Regular restore tests
The only way to know a backup works is to restore from it. We test restores on a regular schedule and keep a record of the results. You'll know your copies are usable, not just that a job said it finished.
Microsoft 365 and cloud backups
Many owners assume Microsoft keeps a full backup of their email and files. Their retention is limited. We back up Microsoft 365 email, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams separately, so you can get back what's been deleted or damaged.
Protection against ransomware
Ransomware tries to lock your files and your backups at the same time. We keep backup copies separated and protected so they can't be changed or deleted from your regular network. That gives you a clean copy to recover from.
A written recovery plan
We put together a plain-language plan for what happens after a serious problem. It covers who to call, what gets restored first, how people keep working in the meantime and how you'll talk to clients. Then we review it with you.
Help on the day it happens
If something does go wrong, you're not on your own. We lead the recovery, keep you updated and work to get your people back to work as quickly as possible. Afterward, we look at what happened and adjust the plan.
The people you work with
Planning around your business
Every business has a few things it can't work without. Maybe it's your accounting system, your project files or your email. We find out what those are first, then build backups and recovery plans around them.
The LAN partnership
People who check, not just store
We think of backups as part of looking after a business, not a product you buy once. The same team that supports your people every day keeps an eye on your backups. So when something changes in the office, like a new system or a new location, the backups change with it.
We'll also be honest with you about trade-offs. Faster recovery usually costs more. Keeping more history takes more storage. We'll show you the options in plain terms and help you pick what makes sense for the size of the risk. Some systems need to be back in an hour. Others can wait a day.
And we stay calm when things go wrong. We've helped Calgary and Alberta businesses through failed equipment, deleted files and cyber incidents. Having people who've done it before makes a stressful day a lot more manageable.
How it works
How we protect your business
Identify
We learn which systems and files the business depends on, and how long you could cope without each one. That sets the priorities for everything else.
Protect
We set up automatic backups for those systems, kept in more than one place and protected from tampering. Microsoft 365 and cloud data get covered too.
Test
We check backups every day and test restores on a regular schedule. You get confirmation that your copies work, plus a written recovery plan.
Recover
If something goes wrong, we lead the recovery and keep you updated. Afterward, we review what happened and make the plan better.
Who we work with
When backup and recovery makes sense
Every business with files it can't afford to lose should have tested backups and a recovery plan. We work with professional services firms, non-profits, construction and energy companies, and other Alberta businesses that need to keep working through a bad day.
It's worth a closer look if nobody's checked your backups recently, if you're not sure what's being backed up or if you've never tried restoring anything. It's also worth it if your insurance provider is asking questions, if you've had a scare or if you're relying on one person who "handles the backups."
If you can't say how long it would take to get your business running again after losing a server or an office, that's the place to start. We'll help you find the answer, and shorten it.
You don't need to understand the technical side to make good decisions here. You just need to know what you can't afford to lose and how long you can wait to get it back. We'll handle the rest and keep you posted on how things are going.
Frequently asked questions
Backup and disaster recovery FAQ
01What is backup and disaster recovery?
Backup means keeping safe copies of your files, email and systems. Disaster recovery is the plan for using those copies to get the business working again after equipment failure, a cyber attack or another serious problem.
02Doesn't Microsoft 365 already back up my email and files?
Only in a limited way. Microsoft keeps deleted items for a set period, then they're gone. A separate Microsoft 365 backup lets you recover older or damaged email and files when you need them.
03How often should backups run?
It depends on how much work you could afford to lose. Important systems often back up several times a day. We'll help you decide based on what an hour or a day of lost work would cost the business.
04How do I know my backups actually work?
By testing them. We check backup results every day and do test restores on a regular schedule. You'll get confirmation that your files can actually be brought back, not just that a backup job ran.
05Can backups protect us from ransomware?
They're one of the best protections. We keep backup copies separated from your regular network so ransomware can't reach them. If your files get locked, you can recover from a clean copy instead of paying.
06How long does it take to recover after a disaster?
That depends on what failed and how your backups are set up. Part of our work is deciding with you how quickly each system needs to be back, then setting things up to meet those targets.
07What is a disaster recovery plan?
It's a written, plain-language guide for getting the business running after a serious problem. It covers who does what, what gets restored first, how people keep working and how you'll communicate with clients.
08Do you help with cyber insurance backup questions?
Yes. Insurers often ask about backups, testing and recovery plans. We help you understand the questions, answer them accurately and close any gaps they point out.
Start with a conversation
Find out how fast you'd recover
Most owners don't know how long it would take to get back up and running after a serious problem. We'll help you find out, and show you what it would take to shorten that time.