Data recovery and backup restoration
It can take longer than expected to restore data. It is important that you take this into consideration when creating a backup plan.
Frequent testing and validation of data readability will assist with a timely data recovery process. This also provides reassurance and peace of mind for your practice that its backup and recovery system is working efficiently.
Backup restoration is rebuilding a system or server after a software or hardware failure. Your backup restoration process needs to be documented, regularly tested and validated.
How do you know the backup has succeeded?
It is important to regularly test that your backup has worked and to test the integrity of your backup data once it has been restored. This ensures the backup has been successful and the restored data is accurate, correct, complete and preserved for future use.
You can ensure that your backup software performs these tests and restores to 100% accuracy by validating the restored data against what is held in the live system.
Information recovery review
An information recovery review will help you to identify the reasons behind a system failure.
Your review should include how your information was recovered and what changes need to be made to your systems, processes and procedures to ensure the same type of system failure does not happen again.
Your information recovery review should include:
- details and screenshots of any error messages
- changes made prior to the system failing
- results of the system failure
- how the system failure was rectified
- a fault log detailing
- the date of the fault
- who logged the fault
- when the fault was discovered
- how the fault was rectified
- a communications strategy to provide information and updates on the system failure and recovery for practice team members, patients, other healthcare providers, technical support providers and relevant authorities who may have been affected.