Which IT support services specialize in data backup and recovery?

If you run a UK business with 10–200 staff, the question isn’t whether you’ll lose data — it’s when and how quickly you can get back to work when it happens. From a missed invoice to a ransomware lockout, downtime costs money, reputation and sleep. This guide explains which IT support services specialise in data backup and recovery, in plain English and with a focus on business outcomes: less disruption, lower cost and proven compliance.

Who does what: the main types of providers

There are a few common types of IT businesses you’ll meet. Each has a different focus and strength when it comes to backup and recovery.

Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

MSPs are the local general practitioners of IT support. They handle day-to-day IT: servers, networks, user support and monitoring. Many MSPs bundle backup and recovery as a core service—often called managed backup. The appeal for a UK small or medium business is convenience: one supplier, predictable monthly costs, and an engineer who knows your estate and can be on site when needed.

Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) specialists

BaaS providers focus specifically on backing up data. They’re often cloud-first and operate platforms that copy your files, systems or virtual machines to geographically separate data centres. They excel at scalability and automated testing of restores. If your priority is airtight offsite copies and fast restores without managing hardware, a BaaS specialist earns its place on the shortlist.

Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

DRaaS goes beyond backups. It’s about standing up entire systems — virtual servers, network configurations and applications — in another location so your business can keep operating after a major outage. This is the service to consider if downtime would be catastrophic: e-commerce platforms, finance teams processing day-end runs, or any back-office function that can’t wait days for recovery.

Security-focused IT support

Cybersecurity firms don’t always provide backup services directly, but they’re important allies. They’ll assess risks, help harden systems, and ensure backups are immutable where needed to withstand ransomware. Often they’ll work with your MSP or BaaS provider to design a defensible strategy that meets regulatory needs like GDPR and the ICO’s expectations.

Forensic recovery and data-retrieval specialists

If a disk has physically failed or data was accidentally overwritten, forensic recovery firms are the specialists. They’re rarely needed in day-to-day business but are the ones you call when the worst has happened and standard restores won’t cut it.

How to choose: business-impact questions to ask

Don’t get distracted by technical specs. Ask questions that tie directly to your business outcomes.

• How fast can you be operational? Ask for realistic Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) for your critical systems. If your accounts team needs access within hours, make sure the provider can deliver that.
• How recent will the data be? Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) matter. If you can’t afford to lose a day’s sales data, hourly or continuous backups are needed, not nightly snapshots.
• Who owns the process at peak stress? Who coordinates the recovery, communicates with staff and validates data? You want a named contact with authority and experience — the person you’ll be glad to hear from at 07:00.
• Is restoration tested? Backup is only useful if it restores. Ask for evidence of regular, documented recovery tests and the fallout plan when a test fails.
• Where are copies stored? For UK businesses, geographic diversity matters. Copies should be offsite and, if necessary, outside your primary region to protect against local incidents.
• How do you meet GDPR and industry rules? Can they provide data processing agreements and evidence of secure handling? This is about credibility as much as compliance.

Typical approaches and what they mean for time, money and risk

Three common approaches crop up in discussions with business owners across the UK:

1. In-house backups with occasional external oversight

Pros: lower monthly costs; control stays in-house. Cons: relies on your IT team’s time and experience. Many SME owners tell me this model is fine until someone’s on holiday and a restore fails — an outcome that costs more than the saved fees when it happens.

2. MSP-managed backups

Pros: predictable billing, local support and someone to call at 07:00. Cons: not all MSPs offer strong offsite recovery or immutable backups. Make sure their offering covers the business-critical systems, not just user files.

3. Specialist BaaS/DRaaS

Pros: strong SLAs, fast recovery, tested procedures. Cons: higher cost and sometimes less hands-on relationship. These services work well when downtime causes immediate revenue loss or regulatory exposure.

What you should expect from a good provider

At the end of the conversation you should have:

• Clear RTOs and RPOs for each critical system.
• A named recovery lead and a simple escalation path.
• Evidence of recovery tests and simple reports you can understand.
• Immutable or air-gapped copies for critical data where appropriate (for ransomware resilience).
• Transparent pricing for restores — surprises when you need to recover are the last thing any CFO wants.

Real-world considerations for UK businesses

Working with companies across London, the Midlands and the north, I’ve seen the same issues: backups configured and then forgotten, or backups stored locally and therefore exposed to the same risk as the originals. Also, regulatory touchpoints matter here — HMRC filing cycles, payroll runs and GDPR notices mean you need confidence, not just comfort.

When meeting prospective providers, ask them to talk in terms of business processes (payroll, sales ledger, email) rather than server names. It forces the conversation away from tech-for-tech’s-sake and towards what your people actually need to get back to work.

Budgeting: how much should you expect to pay?

Costs vary widely depending on data volume, desired RTO/RPO and whether you want full DR. Small businesses often pay a modest monthly fee per user for managed backup, with additional fees for DR drills or expedited restores. Specialist DRaaS will be higher, but consider it insurance against extended downtime. Think of the cost as a fraction of a week’s lost revenue — then you’ll see it in perspective.

FAQ

Can my existing IT supplier add proper backups, or do I need a specialist?

Many MSPs can provide solid backup and recovery, but you should check their recovery testing, offsite storage and ransomware resilience. If your business needs very fast failover or is heavily regulated, a specialist DRaaS or BaaS provider might be a better fit.

How often should backups be tested?

Ideally, test restores at least quarterly for critical systems and annually for full disaster recovery rehearsals. Tests can be simple file restores or full system failovers — the important part is that they’re scheduled and recorded.

What’s the difference between backup and disaster recovery?

Backup is about keeping copies of data. Disaster recovery covers restoring whole systems and getting your business operational again. Think of backup as the ingredients and DR as the kitchen and the chef who gets dinner on the table.

Will cloud backups meet GDPR?

Cloud backups can meet GDPR if the provider offers appropriate contracts, data residency options and security controls. Ask for a data processing agreement and evidence of how they protect and delete personal data on request.

Next steps — keep it practical

If you’re reviewing suppliers, start with a simple spreadsheet of critical processes and acceptable RTO/RPOs. Have prospective providers map their services to those outcomes and show past, tested recoveries — not marketing slides. Meet the person who’ll run the recovery and ask about their worst day and what they learned.

Choosing the right IT support for backup and recovery reduces downtime, saves money and protects your reputation. It’s not exciting, but it’s the kind of quiet competence that keeps the business running through the unexpected — and that’s worth a lot.

Ready to stop worrying and start preparing? Pick a partner that can guarantee fast recovery, clear costs and regulatory calm — so you save time, protect cash and keep credibility intact.