Restore Testing and Verification
Monthly restore tests on every backup job. Documented evidence that backups actually work. Most businesses never test until a real disaster. Sentire tests every month.
Key highlights
- Monthly restore test for each backup job
- Test results documented and reported
- File, VM, and whole-server restore validation
- Test failures escalated and resolved
A backup that's never been tested is a backup that might not work
backups fail silently. a backup job runs without error and appears successful, but when you actually try to restore from it, nothing happens. the backup is corrupted, the data inside is unreadable, or the restore process is broken. you don't discover this until you need the backup after a disaster. by then it's too late.
the only way to know a backup works is to test it. sentire's restore testing service verifies every backup by actually restoring from it. every month. this gives you documented proof that your backups work and lets us fix any problems months before you'd actually need them.
Backup failure rates are higher than you think
industry research shows that 10 to 15% of backup jobs fail in ways that aren't caught by the backup software's own reporting. a storage drive fills up silently. an encryption key is misconfigured. a retention policy deletes backups unexpectedly. monthly restore testing catches these failures while they're still fixable. waiting until a disaster to discover a backup doesn't work is unforgivable.
What we test
Server image restores
for each server with an image-based backup, we periodically restore the image to a test environment and verify it boots correctly, services start, and the filesystem is intact. this validates that the entire server image is readable and restorable. if something is wrong, we find out now, not when you're waiting for the server to come back online after a disaster.
File restores
we restore individual files from backups and verify they're readable, uncorrupted, and match the expected content. this tests the granular restore path. if a user needs to recover a deleted file from last week's backup, this test verifies that's possible.
VM restores
for virtualised environments with VM backups, we periodically restore a VM from backup to a test datastore, power it on, and verify it operates correctly. this tests both the backup integrity and the restore process for virtual machines.
Cloud restore validation
for cloud backups to Azure or Acronis Cloud, we initiate a restore from the cloud and verify the data is accessible and intact. this tests the cloud storage path and ensures your off-site backups are really there and really restorable.
Test results and documentation
every restore test is logged and reported. you receive a monthly summary showing which backups were tested, whether the restore succeeded, how long the restore took, and any issues discovered. if a restore fails, we don't just note it. we escalate it immediately and investigate why. a failed backup is treated as urgent. by next month's test, the issue is fixed and verified.
these test results become important when you need to demonstrate compliance or audit readiness. regulators often ask: "can you prove your backups actually work?" our monthly test reports provide that proof. many Kenyan businesses cannot answer this question. you can.
Catching problems early
restoration testing catches issues months before they'd become critical. examples of problems we've caught:
Backup storage filling up
the backup storage drive is approaching full. this prevents new backups from being stored. we catch this during testing and expand the storage before it fills completely and backups stop.
Corruption in the backup chain
incremental backups depend on a valid full backup. if a full backup becomes corrupted, all subsequent incrementals are useless. testing catches this and allows us to trigger a new full backup before disaster strikes.
Cloud backup authentication failure
a credential change at the cloud provider breaks the backup authentication. backups appear successful locally but cannot be accessed in the cloud. we catch this during restore testing and fix it immediately.
Part of your backup and recovery strategy
restoration testing is included in Sentire's complete Backup and Disaster Recovery service. combined with server backup, cloud backup, and disaster recovery planning, it ensures you have not just backups, but real, tested, verified recovery capability.
Backup testing is how you sleep at night
knowing that your backups are tested monthly and actually work is peace of mind money can't buy. most Nairobi businesses have backups they've never tested. Sentire tests every month. when disaster strikes your business (and for most, it will eventually), you'll be grateful for those tests and the proof that recovery is actually possible.
Also in Backup & Disaster Recovery
Server Backup
On-premise server backup using Acronis or Veeam. Image-based backup with incremental scheduling and retention policies. Covers Windows Server, Linux, and hypervisors.
Cloud Backup
Off-site backup to Azure or Acronis Cloud. Ensures data survives a site disaster. Also covers Microsoft 365 which Microsoft does NOT back up natively.
Hyper-V & VMware Backup
Acronis Cyber Protect backs up Hyper-V and VMware virtual machines at the hypervisor level, agentless, incremental, and replicated off-site for complete VM-level recovery.
Disaster Recovery Planning
Defining RTO and RPO, documenting recovery procedures, designing failover architecture. A written DR plan that actually works when needed.
Veeam ONE, Backup Monitoring & Analytics
Veeam ONE monitors your Veeam backup infrastructure in real time, detecting job failures, forecasting storage growth, and generating compliance reports before problems become incidents.
Get it done right
Let Sentire handle your Restore Testing and Verification.
Our engineers are based in Nairobi and support businesses across Kenya. No lengthy contracts. Just reliable, expert IT delivered as a service.