Backup Policy
| Classification | PUBLIC |
|---|---|
| Owner and approver | Paul Gardner |
| Standard | ISO/IEC 27001:2022, Annex A control 8.13 |
Purpose
This policy sets out how we back up our information so that it can be recovered after a failure, a mistake or an attack.
Scope
This policy applies to the databases, files and servers that hold medDigital information or run our services.
What we back up
| What | How often | Kept for |
|---|---|---|
| Production databases | Continuously, and every night | Any moment in the last 30 days. Nightly copies for 35 days, weekly copies for 90 days and monthly copies for 7 years |
| Files stored by our applications | Continuously | Any moment in the last 35 days |
| Client materials | Every 2 hours on working days, and every night | Nightly copies for 35 days, weekly copies for 90 days and monthly copies for 7 years |
| Directory services | Every night | Nightly copies for 35 days, weekly copies for 90 days and monthly copies for 7 years |
| Production servers | Every night | 35 days |
| Development and build systems | Every night | On a separate backup device, with a copy held off site |
Some short-lived data, such as files our services are designed to delete after a few days, is deliberately not backed up, so that it is not kept longer than intended.
Protecting backups
- Backups are automated and run on a schedule. Nobody has to remember to take them.
- Backups of our production systems are encrypted and kept in the UK.
- They are locked against early deletion, which protects them against mistakes and against attackers trying to destroy them.
- Only IT can reach backups or restore from them. Staff can restore earlier versions of client materials themselves.
Retention and deletion
Information deleted from our services remains in backups until the backup that holds it expires, as set out under What we back up, and is then gone for good.
Restore tests
Every quarter we restore a sample from our backups, including a production database and application files, to prove that they work. Each test is recorded with what was restored, how long it took and the result.
How we check
Restore test records are reviewed at the yearly management review. The yearly internal audit checks that the schedules and retention periods under What we back up are in place and that every quarterly test took place.
How backups are used to restore a service is set out in the Business Continuity Policy. Exceptions, breaches and review follow the Information Security Policy.
History
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 29th October 2026 | Created for ISO/IEC 27001:2022 from the backup sections of the Information Continuity and Operations Security policies, and published on www.meddigital.com |
| 28th April 2020 | Frequency of backup restore tests set (Information Continuity Policy) |
| 31st May 2016 | Database backups expanded (Operations Security Policy) |
| 2nd July 2014 | Backups first covered (Information Continuity and Operations Security policies) |