Running an Honest Restore Rehearsal

Many organisations tick a restore-test box by recovering a small file to a sandbox. That proves the software works; it does not prove you can recover a business process.

Choose a workload with clear owners and measurable success criteria: application starts, data sample validated, and users able to complete a defined transaction.

Time every step, including waiting for approvals and locating credentials. The clock that matters is wall-clock time from decision to usable service, not only the transfer rate of the backup tool.

Involve the people who would be on call. A rehearsal run only by the backup specialist hides handoff problems that appear during real incidents.

Capture what was missing: outdated runbooks, undocumented dependencies, or restore accounts that expired. Turn those findings into dated actions with owners.

Schedule the next rehearsal before you leave the room. Cadence beats intensity; quarterly honest tests outperform a single annual spectacle.