"I have a backup" and "my backup works" are not the same statement. Most companies that lose data did have a backup — it simply would not open. A corrupted archive, an incomplete dump, a file that never arrived at the destination: all of these can display as "successful". That is why verification is a separate step.
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One check is never enough; each layer catches a different kind of failure.
Measures how many of the files scanned on the site made it into the archive, so missing files become visible.
Critical paths (e.g. configuration files, uploads) are looked for in the archive.
Checks whether a dump was taken of the databases found on the site and whether it is complete.
Abnormal shrinkage in backup size is caught; “4 GB yesterday, 40 MB today” does not slip by.
Whether the file really exists at the storage destination is checked regularly; the “recorded but missing” case is flagged, and if an archive can’t be found you see a warning in the panel and receive an email.
Each backup’s SHA-256 checksum is stored and compared before a restore; the file size and the provider’s checksum at the destination are checked too.
A weekly sample restore test: the archive of selected backups is downloaded on your own server and its integrity and the completeness of the database dump are verified. It runs on a sample, not on every backup.
For incremental backups, checks that the earlier backups needed for a restore are all present.
Every one of these can hide behind a "successful backup" label.
If an expected component comes back empty the backup is not marked successful. "0 files backed up" is a warning, not a success.
When the server runs out of space, packaging is cut short — and that is reported separately.
If the dump could not be taken, the backup is incomplete; a files-only backup is not silently substituted.
If IMAP connected but returned zero messages you are told, rather than losing data quietly.
If a scheduled run did not happen an alert is raised, so you are not left unprotected for weeks.
If writing to the destination did not complete, the backup is not counted as finished.
The most insidious bug in backup software is a check that reports success while doing nothing. Such a check gives you confidence without protection — and delays the moment you notice a real problem.
So our principle is this: "0 problems found" and "0 records scanned" are never the same thing. If a check could not verify anything, it does not report success; it marks the state as unknown.
8-layer verification, the Backup Report Card and the weekly drill are on in every plan. Free until the end of the year.
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