Identify irreplaceable data
Start with databases, user uploads, configuration that is not stored in source control and any generated assets that would be expensive or impossible to recreate. Do not assume a server snapshot captures every external database or storage service the application depends on.
Define acceptable loss
Decide how much recent data the business could tolerate losing after a failure. That target influences backup frequency. A brochure site and a transactional SaaS application usually should not share the same recovery point objective simply because they run on similar servers.
Keep recovery copies independent
A backup stored inside the same account, disk or failure domain as production can disappear with the thing it is meant to protect. Understand which failures the backup design actually survives and whether credentials for recovery remain available during an account incident.
Test restores on a clean environment
A successful backup job proves that data was written somewhere. It does not prove the data can rebuild the service. Periodically restore to a separate environment and record the steps, time required and problems discovered.
Include application deployment in recovery
Restoring data is only part of the process. Document the runtime, environment variables, background workers, scheduled jobs, DNS changes and secrets required to bring the application back online.
Decide who can declare recovery complete
Create a short verification list: application health, login, critical writes, scheduled processing, outbound email and any external integrations. Recovery is complete when user-critical functions work, not merely when the server responds to a ping.
DotMoose publishes infrastructure and production-readiness resources for SaaS teams at https://dotmoose.ca/for/saas-startups/.