What to Look for in a Backup Solution
Key Features for Ransomware Resilience and Recovery Readiness
In 2025, choosing a backup solution is more critical than ever. Learn the essential features that separate basic storage from true ransomware resilience.
The Modern Backup Challenge
Choosing a backup solution used to be simple—pick something that stores your data and schedule it to run overnight. But in 2025, the stakes are much higher. Ransomware attacks are more sophisticated, compliance standards are more demanding, and business continuity expectations leave little room for downtime or data loss.
Modern IT leaders and MSPs need more than just storage—they need ransomware resilience, airtight recovery plans, and backups that can’t be tampered with. This article breaks down the key features you should look for in a modern backup solution, so you’re prepared not just to back up data, but to get it back when it matters most.
Must-Have Features for SMBs in 2025
When evaluating backup solutions, it’s easy to get distracted by storage limits and price per gigabyte. But the real value of a backup system is revealed the moment something goes wrong. Here are the must-have features every small and mid-sized business should prioritize in 2025:
■ Immutable Backups
Backups should be write-once, read-many (WORM) by default. Immutable backups prevent ransomware and rogue administrators from encrypting or deleting backup copies. Look for solutions that support object locking, snapshot protection, or backup immutability settings.
◆ Multi-Destination Support
A single point of failure is unacceptable. Backups should automatically replicate across multiple destinations—on-prem, cloud, and even separate cloud providers. This reduces the risk of data loss due to vendor outages, regional failures, or account compromise.
▲ Granular Restore Options
Not every recovery needs a full system rollback. Look for solutions that support file-level, application-level, and full-system restores. Being able to quickly recover a single email or a lost Excel file can save hours of downtime and frustration.
◇ Automated Testing
If you’ve never tested your backups, you don’t know if they’ll work. A solid backup solution should routinely test restore jobs, validate integrity, and notify you of any issues. Bonus points for solutions that offer automated sandbox testing.
▶ Air-Gapped or Offline Backup Copies
Air-gapping—keeping a copy of backups physically or logically isolated from your network—adds an extra layer of protection against ransomware. This can be implemented through offline storage, tape backups, or cloud-based snapshots that are not accessible via regular network protocols.
Security Features to Demand
A backup solution is only as strong as its security. If attackers can modify or delete your backups, recovery becomes impossible. Here are the non-negotiable security features every backup system should include:
◆ Zero Trust Access Controls
Backup access should follow the principle of least privilege. Ensure the solution supports role-based access controls (RBAC), multifactor authentication (MFA), and detailed audit logging.
■ Backup Encryption
Your data should be encrypted end-to-end. This means AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS encryption in transit. Confirm that encryption keys are managed securely.
◉ Alerting & Anomaly Detection
Your backup platform should alert you to suspicious activity. Look for features like backup job failure alerts, unexpected deletion notifications, and anomaly detection, such as a sudden drop in backup size or frequency. These early warnings can signal ransomware or misconfigurations before they become disasters.
Operational Considerations
A backup solution isn’t just a security tool—it’s also a daily part of IT operations. If it’s too hard to manage or too slow to restore, it won’t deliver value when you need it most. These operational features can make or break your backup experience:
● Ease of Management
Look for solutions with a centralized dashboard, intuitive policy setup, and automation features like scheduled backups, retention policies, and one-click restores.
▲ Speed of Recovery
Your backup solution should meet your recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO). Some solutions offer instant recovery or live mount features.
◇ Integration Capabilities
Modern businesses use Office 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, SQL databases, and more. A good backup solution should integrate directly with your platforms.
Questions to Ask Vendors
Not all backup solutions are created equal, and vendor sales pitches don’t always tell the full story. Asking the right questions can help you uncover gaps before it’s too late. Here are some essential questions to include in your evaluation process:
- Can backups be restored if your service is offline or unavailable?
You need an exit plan. Make sure you can access and restore data even if the vendor experiences an outage. - How quickly can I recover a deleted or encrypted file?
Get clear, real-world recovery time estimates—especially for common scenarios like accidental deletions or ransomware events. - Do you support ransomware rollback or versioning?
Solutions that can restore to a known-good state prior to encryption are essential in today’s threat landscape. - Are backup copies immutable by default or optional?
Immutability should not be an afterthought or paid add-on. Understand how and where immutable backups are configured. - What’s your default backup retention policy?
Ensure the policy aligns with your compliance needs and business continuity goals. Can it be customized? Is long-term archiving supported?
Asking these questions early helps you avoid surprises later—and ensures you’re choosing a partner, not just a product.
The Bottom Line
Backup is no longer just an insurance policy—it’s a frontline defense against ransomware, outages, and accidental data loss. In 2025, a reliable backup solution must go beyond basic storage. It needs to be secure, resilient, and ready to recover fast.
By prioritizing features like immutability, air-gapped copies, granular restores, and tested recovery processes, you’re not just protecting your data—you’re protecting your entire business. The right solution gives you confidence that when disaster strikes, you’ll be back up and running with minimal disruption.
Now is the time to audit your current backup environment. Are your backups tested? Are they secure? Can they be restored instantly?
Get Your Free Backup Audit Checklist
Want to make sure your current backup setup is secure, compliant, and recovery-ready? Download our free backup audit checklist by filling out the form below: