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Backup and Recovery

What is Backup and Recovery?

The processes and technologies for creating copies of data and systems so they can be restored after data loss, corruption, or disaster. Backup frequency and retention policies are defined by business requirements and regulatory obligations.

Information Security

Terms that appear alongside backup and recovery

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as backup and recovery. The number is how many controls name both.

Frameworks that govern backup and recovery

ISO 27001:2022View framework →NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5View framework →NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0View framework →

What the standards actually require on backup and recovery

Requirements naming backup and recovery across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

C5 (Germany)4 controls

Watch backup execution through technical and organisational measures and have qualified staff investigate and rectify malfunctions promptly, so the agreed scope, frequency and retention of data backup are still achieved.

C5-OPS-07 · Data Backup and Recovery - Monitoring →
Azure Security Benchmark2 controls

Protect backup data with encryption, immutability, soft delete, and multi-user authorisation against ransomware and insider threats.

BR-2 · Protect backup and recovery data →
AWWA Cybersecurity Guidance for the Water Sector (American Water Works Association)1 control

Back up SCADA configurations, PLC logic, historian data, and HMI projects with tested restoration procedures.

AWWA-G430-12 · Backup and Recovery for Control Systems →
FFIEC IT Examination Handbook1 control

Backups are encrypted, isolated from production credentials, tested for restorability, and protected against ransomware.

IS-VIII.A.2 · Backup and Recovery →
ISO 270431 control

Backup and recovery procedures. Control from ISO 27043 framework, domain: ISO 27043: Operations Security.

ISO27043-23 · Backup and recovery procedures →
ISO/SAE 214341 control

Backup and recovery procedures. Control from ISO/SAE 21434 framework, domain: ISO/SAE 21434: Operations Security.

ISO21434-23 · Backup and recovery procedures →

Questions people ask about backup and recovery

What is Backup and Recovery?
The processes and technologies for creating copies of data and systems so they can be restored after data loss, corruption, or disaster. Backup frequency and retention policies are defined by business requirements and regulatory obligations.
Why is Backup and Recovery important for compliance?
Backup and Recovery is a key concept in Information Security. Understanding backup and recovery helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Backup and Recovery?
Backup and Recovery appears in the requirement text of C5 (Germany), Azure Security Benchmark, AWWA Cybersecurity Guidance for the Water Sector (American Water Works Association), FFIEC IT Examination Handbook, ISO 27043. Across these standards we have identified 10 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Backup and Recovery?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how backup and recovery applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how Backup and Recovery applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

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Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.