ISO 27001 backup requirements — a practical guide for UK SMEs

If your business has between 10 and 200 staff, the phrase “ISO 27001 backup requirements” probably sits somewhere between “necessary headache” and “box to tick”. The standard does ask for concrete things around backups, but it’s not about flashy tech — it’s about protecting revenue, reputation and the people who rely on your systems.

Why backups matter for your bottom line (and your sleep)

Loss of data isn’t only an IT problem. When invoices, customer records or critical project files vanish, the finance team feels it, customers notice delays, and directors get nervous. ISO 27001 treats backups as a business control: they’re evidence that you’ve thought through risk and put something reliable in place.

That’s the commercial perspective: backups minimise downtime, reduce recovery costs, preserve customer trust and help you demonstrate compliance during audits or regulatory enquiries — all practical outcomes any business owner understands.

What ISO 27001 backup requirements actually say (in plain English)

ISO 27001 doesn’t hand you a step-by-step backup playbook. Instead it requires that you identify information risks, implement controls to treat those risks, and maintain evidence that those controls work. In practice this means:

Define a backup policy that sets out what gets backed up, how often and who’s responsible.
Classify data so critical information gets the highest protection — financial records and customer data first, trivial files later.
Store backups securely, ideally with separation from live systems (off-site or logically isolated). Encryption and access controls are part of that security.
Test restores regularly. A backup that can’t be restored is paperwork, not protection.
Keep retention and disposal rules: don’t keep everything forever, but keep things for as long as regulations or contracts require.

These points cover the operational side of ISO 27001 backup requirements without getting lost in vendor specs.

How to translate requirements into a pragmatic plan

Start with a short, clear backup policy and a simple risk register. You don’t need a 40-page manual — you need a set of decisions that the rest of the business can follow. For an SME that usually looks like this:

Identify critical systems (accounting, CRM, project files).
Choose a recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO) for each.
Decide where backups live: local, off-site, cloud, or a mix.
Assign responsibility: who runs backups, who tests restores, who signs off change.
Document tests and incidents so auditors can see it works.

Of this list, testing and documentation are the most often overlooked. I’ve been in boardrooms where the team assumed “it’s on the cloud” was enough — and only discovered restore problems during a real outage. Tests are cheap insurance.

Retention, encryption and legal points — what UK businesses should watch

Retention periods should reflect legal, contractual and operational needs. For example, tax documentation must be retained for set periods; customer consent or cookie-linked data may have different lifecycles. Treat retention as a business decision backed by your legal or compliance adviser.

Encryption of backups is a sensible default. It protects you if media are lost or if a third party stores your data. Keep key management clear: who controls decryption keys? Losing keys can be as destructive as losing the data.

Don’t forget GDPR. Backups containing personal data are still personal data. You must be able to demonstrate appropriate technical and organisational measures for their protection.

Cloud providers, third parties and supply chain reality

Many SMEs use cloud services. That’s fine, but ISO 27001 expects you to understand and control risks. That means reviewing your provider’s security measures, knowing where data is stored, and ensuring contractual terms meet your requirements. If a supplier doesn’t give you clear answers, escalate the question — regulators and auditors will expect it.

When relying on third parties, ensure their backup practices align with your RTOs/RPOs and evidence requirements. Record this in supplier assessments or contracts so you aren’t left explaining gaps during an incident.

Evidence for audits — what auditors look for

Auditors want to see that you’ve thought it through and that the plan works. Practical evidence includes:

A current backup policy and associated procedures.
Logs showing successful backups and retention evidence.
Restore test records and any lessons learned.
Role assignments and supplier assessments where appropriate.

Keep things simple and well-organised. A tidy folder of dated test results and signed actions goes a long way in a UK audit room.

For businesses that prefer a managed approach to backup, a sensible place to start is by reviewing current processes against business priorities — for a straightforward checklist, see this natural anchor which explains practical steps for data backup in a way directors can use during planning meetings.

Common pitfalls and easy wins

Pitfalls:

Assuming “cloud equals safe” without testing restores.
Keeping everything indefinitely and creating legal headaches.
Not assigning clear responsibility for backups and testing.

Easy wins:

Run quarterly restore tests for critical systems and log the results.
Set clear RTO/RPO targets and communicate them to suppliers.
Apply encryption and limit access to backup stores.

Practical next steps for busy directors

If you’re balancing operations and growth, treat backups as a short project. Set a fortnightly cadence: week one, map critical data; week two, confirm backup locations and responsibilities. Within a month you can have policy, roles and a first test documented. That’s enough to satisfy the core of ISO 27001 backup requirements and reduce risk quickly.

FAQ

Do ISO 27001 backup requirements require off-site storage?

The standard doesn’t explicitly mandate off-site storage, but it does require that information remains available when needed. Off-site or logically separated backups are a common way to meet that requirement, particularly to protect against site-wide incidents.

How often should we test restores?

There’s no fixed frequency in the standard, but quarterly tests for critical systems are a reasonable starting point for SMEs. Increase frequency if systems are more critical or change often.

Can we use cloud backups for ISO 27001?

Yes. Cloud backups are fine provided you understand the provider’s controls, where data is stored, and you can evidence restores and retention. Treat cloud providers as suppliers and document the arrangements.

What records do auditors expect to see?

Auditors look for a backup policy, logs showing successful backups, restore test records, and evidence of roles and supplier checks. Simple, dated documentation is more convincing than complex diagrams.

Will backups alone make us compliant?

No. Backups are one control among many. ISO 27001 assesses your wider management system: risk assessment, controls, monitoring and continual improvement. Backups are necessary, but they work best as part of a coherent information security programme.

If you want a quick win: document what’s critical, run a restore test this month, and record the result. That small investment buys calmer mornings, quicker recovery, and stronger credibility with customers and regulators — and that’s worth a lot more than another IT task on the list.