Remote SupportA backup you have not tested is just a wish.
Most Australian businesses think they have a backup. Almost none have tested a real restore in the last twelve months. We design, run and regularly test backup and disaster recovery for your servers, Microsoft 365, endpoints and cloud workloads, so when something goes wrong, your business keeps moving.
Immutable cloud copies, AirGap protection, AutoVerify boot tests, and a documented runbook for the day it counts. Aligned to the ACSC Essential Eight Regular Backups control and the SMB1001 backup requirements.
The reality, in numbers
$8,000
per hour of downtime, average cost to a small business after data loss. ConnectWise, 2025
58%
of SMBs have no backup plan, on the assumption that Microsoft 365 includes one. It does not. ConnectWise
60%
of small businesses that suffer catastrophic data loss close within six months. ConnectWise
01 / The honest picture
The morning of a ransomware incident is the worst day to discover your backup does not work.
Half the businesses we meet for the first time after an incident had a backup running. The job was green. Somebody had even paid for the licences. None of that mattered, because nobody had restored from it in over a year. The retention was too short. The job had silently stopped covering the new file server. The Microsoft 365 tenant was not in scope at all.
The ACSC Australian Signals Directorate puts Regular Backups as one of the eight controls in the Essential Eight, and is explicit that backups must be performed, retained, synchronised, isolated and tested. The OAIC Notifiable Data Breaches reports show ransomware and accidental disclosure remain among the largest causes of breach reported to the regulator across 2024 and 2025.
ConnectWise puts the average cost of downtime at $8,000 per hour for a small business. Acronis reports the average global ransom payment in 2025 at roughly $2 million. The cost of a working, tested backup is a tiny fraction of either number.
What follows on this page is how we actually run backup and disaster recovery for Australian businesses. The 3-2-1-1-0 baseline, what we cover across servers, endpoints, Microsoft 365 and cloud, how we test, and what happens on the morning something goes wrong.
Backup data lands in Australian data centres, with an immutable cloud copy outside your tenant.
02 / Six moments that decide it
Most backup failures look identical. We engineer for every one of them up front.
You will not feel the difference between backup platforms on the day you sign the contract. You feel it the morning a server is gone, a director loses their laptop on a flight, or your insurer asks you to prove your last successful restore.
The moment
Today, without a tested plan
Under Real Bytes BDR
Ransomware encrypts the file server
WithoutThe on-site NAS is on the same network, encrypted at the same time. The cloud sync is encrypted too. Recovery starts from whatever USB drive someone last took home.
With Real BytesImmutable cloud copies, locked from deletion for the retention window. Clean recovery point identified, environment rebuilt in the Axcient Cloud or Azure within hours.
An employee deletes a shared mailbox
WithoutMicrosoft’s 30-day soft-delete window expires. The new starter overwrites the licence. The mailbox is unrecoverable from native M365.
With Real BytesThird-party M365 backup retains the mailbox independently. Restored to a new user, a PST, or as a shared mailbox, at item level if needed.
A Teams channel is wiped
WithoutTeams chat, files, tabs and configuration are gone. Microsoft retention defaults are short and inconsistent across the workload.
With Real BytesGranular Teams restore including channels, files, configuration and message history where supported. Restored in place or to an alternate team.
A hard drive dies in a director’s laptop
WithoutOneDrive sync stopped working three months ago without anyone noticing. Personal folders are gone. Documents only existed locally.
With Real BytesEndpoint protection backs up the device independently of OneDrive. Files restored to a replacement device the same day.
An office floods on a long weekend
WithoutThe local backup appliance and the production servers are both submerged. The only off-site copy is six weeks old.
With Real BytesOff-site replicated copies in Australian data centres. Failover to Virtual Office in the Axcient Cloud or Azure runs the business while hardware is replaced.
Cyber insurance asks for evidence
Without"Do you have immutable, off-site, tested backups with a documented RTO and RPO?" Long silence on the call. Premium goes up, or coverage is withdrawn.
With Real BytesTest restore reports, retention policies, RTO and RPO mapped per system, and AutoVerify boot evidence exported for the underwriter.
03 / The architecture
One workload. Six checkpoints before you ever need it.
A working backup is not a single product. It is a chain of controls, and a single weak link is the difference between four hours of disruption and a six-figure recovery. We design the chain end to end before we touch a production system.
The same architecture protects a 12-staff accounting firm and a 250-staff construction company. The retention windows, RPO targets, and DR failover scope change. The discipline does not.
Backup data is stored exclusively in Australian object storage regions, encrypted in flight and at rest, with immutability set against your retention policy.
Aligned to
ACSC Essential Eight Regular Backups (ML1, ML2, ML3), SMB1001:2027 control 3.1.1.1 offline backup register, Privacy Act APP 11 reasonable steps, APRA CPS 234 recovery capability.
Source
Image-level + application aware capture
Agent-based capture of Windows, Linux, VMware, Hyper-V, macOS and NAS. Image-level snapshots for servers, plus application-consistent capture for SQL, Exchange, SharePoint and Active Directory. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace captured via API direct from the cloud.
Transport
Encrypted, deduplicated, throttled
Changed blocks only, AES-256 in transit. Bandwidth throttling so backup never competes with production traffic. Schedules from every 15 minutes for tier-1 systems down to nightly for archive data.
Local
On-site appliance or cloud-direct cache
For server workloads, an on-site appliance or virtual appliance keeps the most recent recovery points local for fast restore. SaaS and endpoint backups go cloud-direct, no appliance required.
Immutable
AirGap and object-lock cloud storage
Off-site copies stored in Australian object storage with immutability windows. Even with full admin credentials, an attacker cannot delete or alter backups inside the retention period. The control that makes ransomware survivable.
Verify
AutoVerify and screenshot validation
Every backup is automatically booted in an isolated sandbox, screenshot taken, and verified bootable. Failed verifications open a ticket in our PSA, not after a restore, but the day the backup ran.
Recover
File, image, virtual office or full DR
Recovery options sized to the incident. Single file or mailbox in minutes. Full virtual machine in the Axcient Cloud or Azure within hours. Full disaster recovery failover for a sustained outage, with a documented runbook and tested RTO.
04 / Microsoft 365 is not a backup
Microsoft keeps the platform running. Your data inside it is your job.
Microsoft’s shared responsibility model is explicit: they keep Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams available. You are responsible for your data inside them. Native retention windows are short, ransomware can sync into OneDrive and overwrite clean copies, and offboarded mailboxes can be purged when licences are reassigned. We deploy independent backup that lives outside your tenant.
58%
of SMBs operate Microsoft 365 with no third-party backup, assuming the platform protects them.
ConnectWise, 2025
Exchange Online
Mailboxes, calendars, contacts and public folders. Item-level restore and full mailbox restore beyond Microsoft’s default 30-day soft-delete window.
Native gap
Permanently deleted items after 30 days. Disabled mailboxes when licences are reassigned to new starters.
OneDrive & SharePoint
Personal repositories, site collections, document libraries, lists, permissions and version history. Granular restore of individual items or entire sites.
Native gap
Ransomware-encrypted files sync into OneDrive and overwrite clean copies. Versioning and recycle bin run out quickly under volume.
Microsoft Teams
Channels, files, tabs, team configuration and chat history where supported. Often the workload at greatest risk and least understood by SMBs.
Native gap
Native Teams retention is inconsistent across channels, chats and files. Deleted teams cannot always be restored after the soft-delete window.
Planner & Groups
Planner plans, tasks, and Microsoft 365 Groups membership and content. Recovered alongside the team they belong to or independently.
Native gap
No durable native protection. Plan deletion is permanent after the parent group is purged.
Want the deeper dive? We have written a full vendor comparison: Microsoft 365 Backup, Veeam, Acronis, Axcient, Datto, Barracuda and AvePoint, scored against ACSC and Privacy Act obligations.
Read the M365 Backup comparison
“A ransomware attack hit the file server overnight. By the time we walked through the door at 8am, Real Bytes had already isolated the network, identified the last clean restore point and spun up a virtual office. Staff were working from home by lunchtime.”
General Manager
Queensland construction company, 45 staff
05 / The Australian context
Backup is not just an IT decision anymore. It is a regulatory, insurance and continuity obligation.
We do not over-claim compliance. We map the controls a properly designed BDR operation directly evidences against the Australian frameworks Australian businesses are being assessed against in 2026.
E8
ASD Essential Eight, Regular Backups
The ACSC publishes maturity levels for the Regular Backups control. ML1 requires important data, software and configuration settings to be backed up in a coordinated way. ML2 and ML3 add increasing restrictions around access to backups, retention, and tested restoration.
cyber.gov.au
APP 11
Privacy Act, Australian Privacy Principle 11
Requires reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. The OAIC has cited inadequate backup as a contributing failure in published Notifiable Data Breach determinations.
oaic.gov.au
NDB
Notifiable Data Breaches scheme
When personal information is encrypted by ransomware or otherwise inaccessible, you must assess whether a notifiable breach has occurred and report within 30 days. A working backup is often the difference between a recoverable incident and a notifiable one.
oaic.gov.au
CPS 234
APRA CPS 234, Information Security
Applies to APRA-regulated entities, including superannuation, insurance and banking. Requires maintaining capability to identify, manage and recover from information security incidents. Tested backup with documented RTO and RPO is core to the recovery obligation.
apra.gov.au
1001
SMB1001:2027, control 3.1.1.1
Requires a documented backup register, an offline copy of backups, a minimum retention period and a tested restore at least annually. Real Bytes produces the evidence pack required for self-assessment or third-party certification.
dsi.org
SOCI
SOCI Act and CIRMP rules
For critical infrastructure operators, the Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Program rules require documented controls for data security and recovery from incidents, including cyber events. Backup design must align to the entity’s risk management programme.
cisc.gov.au
06 / The platforms we deploy
Vendor-neutral. We will recommend what fits your environment, not our margin.
We deploy ConnectWise, Axcient, Acronis and Veeam in production for Australian businesses. The platform we recommend depends on your workload mix, sovereignty requirements, recovery objectives and existing tooling.
ConnectWise Cloud Backup
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, with Australian data residency
Our production default for SaaS backup. Cloud-native, agentless protection for Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams and Planner, plus Google Workspace. Up to six automatic backups per day, no data pruning, Snap Search for fast item-level recovery, and Microsoft Groups-aligned management. Backup data is held in Australian Microsoft Azure regions, which is why we standardise on it for clients with Privacy Act, APP 11 and SMB1001 data residency obligations.
Includes
- Australian data residency in Microsoft Azure regions
- Six automatic backups per day, no pruning
- Granular Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Planner restore
- Snap Search and Modern App-Only Authentication
- Branded customer self-service restore portal
Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud
Businesses consolidating backup, EDR and patching in one agent
Combines backup with anti-malware, EDR, vulnerability assessment, patch management and DLP in a single agent. Strong fit when reducing the number of tools and agents on each endpoint matters. Includes Acronis Active Protection against ransomware that targets backup files. Hosted in Australian Acronis Cyber Cloud data centres for local data residency.
Includes
- Backup, AV/EDR and patching in one agent
- Active Protection ransomware mitigation
- Forensic backup for incident investigation
- Acronis Cyber Cloud Australian data centres
- M365 and Google Workspace add-on
Axcient x360Recover
Server, endpoint, Azure and DR for SMB through mid-market
Hybrid BCDR for Windows, Linux, VMware, Hyper-V, macOS, NAS and Azure. AutoVerify boot-tests every recovery point. Chain-free architecture means no corrupted backup chains. Virtual Office spins up your entire environment in the Axcient Cloud for full DR failover. Our preferred platform for production server backup and disaster recovery.
Includes
- AutoVerify automated screenshot validation
- AirGap immutable cloud copies
- Chain-free backup architecture
- Virtual Office full DR failover in the Axcient Cloud
- BDR appliance or appliance-free direct-to-cloud
Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365
Customer-owned storage and mid-market with sovereignty requirements
When the customer wants to own the storage, retain backups in a customer-controlled tenant, or align to a specific Australian region, Veeam is our preferred fit. Granular restore for Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams, with strong eDiscovery search.
Includes
- Customer-controlled storage option
- Granular restore across Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams
- eDiscovery-grade search
- Australian Azure or S3 regions
- Strong fit for regulated industries
Already on Real Bytes managed IT? Server, endpoint and Microsoft 365 backup is included in the higher tier plans. Standalone backup and DR is also available, sized to your workloads and RTO targets.
Get a fixed-fee quote07 / Asked and answered
Questions we hear on every backup review.
If yours is not here, ask on the review call. We will give you a straight answer, not a brochure.
Backup is a copy of your data, kept somewhere safe, that you can restore from. Disaster recovery is the ability to keep operating after a major incident, which usually requires backup plus a tested plan to bring systems back online inside an agreed time. Backup gets your data back. DR gets the business running again. We design both.
Backup operations run from our Brisbane operations centre.
08 / Next step
Book a 30 minute backup review.
We will look at what you are backing up today, what you are not, and where you sit against the ACSC Essential Eight and your cyber insurance obligations. You walk away with a written gap analysis and a fixed-fee path forward. No obligation either way.
Review length
30 min
Deployment
1 to 6 weeks
Operated by
Real Bytes
Delivering backup and disaster recovery Brisbane, backup and recovery Hobart and Tasmania, and across Australia.