Having a backup is not the same as having a recovery plan. Most small businesses discover this the hard way — after a ransomware attack, a server failure, or an accidental deletion reveals that their backup was incomplete, untested, or simply not working. At that moment, the cost of the gap becomes very clear.
Meta IT Pro delivers fully managed backup and disaster recovery for businesses across MA and RI — with daily automated backups, encrypted off-site storage, documented recovery procedures, and tested restores that prove your data is actually recoverable when it matters most.
93% of companies without DR that suffer a major data loss are out of business within one year | $8,000+ average cost of downtime per hour for a small business | 54% of businesses that test their backups find they cannot restore successfully |
A backup you have never tested is not a backup. It is a hope. Every Meta IT Pro backup engagement includes tested restores — documented proof that your data comes back when you need it. |
The Difference Between Backup and Disaster Recovery
Concept | What It Means | What Happens Without It |
Backup | A copy of your data stored separately from your primary systems | Data loss — files, emails, databases gone permanently |
Disaster Recovery (DR) | A tested plan for restoring systems and operations after a failure | Extended downtime — days or weeks without critical systems |
Business Continuity (BC) | The ability to keep operating while recovery is underway | Revenue loss, client impact, and reputational damage during outage |
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) | How fast you need to be back online after a failure | Without a defined RTO, recovery is ad hoc and slow |
Recovery Point Objective (RPO) | How much data loss is acceptable (how far back can you restore) | Without a defined RPO, backups may not meet business requirements |
Our Backup & Disaster Recovery Services
Managed Cloud Backup
We deploy and manage automated, encrypted backup solutions that run daily — or more frequently for high-change environments — without requiring any action from your staff. Backups are stored in geographically redundant cloud locations, completely separate from your primary systems.
- Daily automated backups of servers, workstations, and cloud data
- Encrypted backup storage — data protected at rest and in transit
- Geographically redundant cloud storage — a single disaster cannot wipe both copies
- Versioning — multiple restore points so you can go back days, weeks, or months
- Microsoft 365 backup — Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams data protected
- 24/7 backup monitoring with automated alerts on failure
Image-Based Server Backup
For business-critical servers, file-level backup is not enough. We deploy image-based backup that captures the entire server state — operating system, applications, configurations, and data — so a full bare-metal restore is possible when hardware fails completely.
- Full server image capture on a defined schedule
- Incremental image backups minimize backup window and storage
- Bare-metal restore capability — rebuild an entire server from scratch
- Virtual machine spin-up — run your server as a VM during hardware recovery
- Local backup appliance for fast on-site restore + cloud copy for off-site DR
Backup Monitoring & Verified Restores
We monitor every backup job daily and alert on any failure immediately. More importantly, we conduct scheduled restore tests — actually recovering data and documenting the result — so you have documented proof your backup works before you ever need it.
- Daily backup job monitoring and failure alerting
- Monthly restore tests — spot-check critical files and folders
- Quarterly full restore tests — complete system or server recovery validation
- Written restore test reports delivered to you after each test
- Backup health dashboard available on request
Disaster Recovery Planning
A DR plan documents exactly what happens when something goes wrong — who does what, in what order, to bring your systems back online within your target timeframe. Without a plan, recovery is improvised, slow, and expensive.
- Business Impact Analysis — which systems are mission-critical and in what order?
- RTO and RPO definition for every critical system
- Step-by-step recovery procedures for each system and scenario
- Contact lists, vendor information, and escalation paths
- DR plan document maintained and updated annually or when environments change
Disaster Recovery Testing
A plan that has never been tested is not a plan — it is a guess. We conduct annual tabletop exercises and periodic technical DR tests so your team knows the plan and your systems prove they can recover.
- Annual tabletop exercise — walk through a disaster scenario with your key staff
- Technical DR test — actually execute recovery procedures in a safe environment
- Test results report with identified gaps and remediation actions
- Plan updates following each test based on lessons learned
Cloud-Based DR & Failover
For businesses that cannot afford extended downtime under any circumstances, we design and implement cloud-based failover environments — so if your primary systems go down, operations can continue from a cloud environment within minutes rather than hours or days.
- Azure-based DR environment mirroring your on-premise infrastructure
- Automated failover triggers or one-click manual failover
- Defined failback procedure once primary environment is restored
- Regular failover tests to validate the environment is current and functional
Backup & DR by Industry
Industry | RPO Target | RTO Target | Key Backup Scope |
Healthcare / Dental | 4 hours | 4–8 hours | EHR, scheduling, billing, PHI repositories |
Law Firms | 24 hours | 8–24 hours | Case management, document store, email |
CPA / Accounting | 4 hours | 4–8 hours | Tax software, client files, billing systems |
Manufacturing | 1–4 hours | 2–4 hours | ERP, production data, inventory systems |
Auto Dealerships | 4 hours | 2–4 hours | DMS, CRM, F&I data, customer records |
General Small Business | 24 hours | 24–48 hours | File server, email, line-of-business apps |
Frequently Asked Questions
How is cloud backup different from syncing files to OneDrive or Dropbox?
Sync tools like OneDrive and Dropbox are not backups — they mirror your files, including deletions and ransomware encryption. If ransomware encrypts your files, it is synced to the cloud within minutes. True backup maintains versioned, independent copies on a separate system that ransomware cannot reach. We deploy solutions purpose-built for backup and recovery, not file sync.
How often should backups run?
It depends on your RPO — how much data loss is acceptable. For most small businesses, daily backups are sufficient. For healthcare, legal, and financial firms handling high-volume transactions, we recommend more frequent incremental backups — as often as every 15–60 minutes for critical systems. We define the right schedule based on your actual business requirements, not a generic default.
What happens if our office burns down or floods? Is the cloud backup safe?
Yes. Our cloud backup solutions store data in geographically redundant data centers in separate regions. A physical disaster at your location — or even at one data center — cannot affect both copies. Your data survives site-level disasters, and recovery can begin from any location with an internet connection.
Do you back up Microsoft 365 data?
Yes, and this is critical — Microsoft’s service agreement explicitly states that they are not responsible for data loss in Microsoft 365. Exchange emails, SharePoint sites, OneDrive files, and Teams conversations can be permanently lost due to accidental deletion, ransomware, or malicious insider action without a third-party backup. We deploy dedicated Microsoft 365 backup with point-in-time restore for all M365 data.
When did you last test your backup? If you can’t answer that question confidently, it’s time to talk. We’ll assess your current backup posture at no cost. Book a Free Backup Assessment → metaitpro.com | 774-434-2346 |
