Backup that is tested, not backup that is configured
How much data you can afford to lose, and how long you can afford to be down. Everything else — platform, number of copies, where they sit — follows from those two answers, not the other way around.
Overview
ILS Networks designs and builds backup, replication and business-continuity systems — and operates them afterwards: monitoring the jobs, handling failures, and running real restore tests that confirm the data is intact and the recovery meets the time that was set. An untested backup is an assumption, so the testing is part of the service rather than an extra.
The work follows a fixed method: mapping before any change, maintenance windows the organization defines, a way back at every stage, acceptance testing and full documentation of what is handed over. That is how projects finish on the date that was set rather than drifting.
The main platforms we implement are Veeam Backup & Replication, Proxmox Backup Server, Cove and Dell Avamar. These are the platforms we work with most, not a closed list. If something else runs in your estate, we will design, build and maintain that too.
We work with organizations over years rather than over a single project — Ariston Group for around six years running the entire estate, Combe for more than fifteen, CooperVision and Galmarine for about five each.
The recovery window
The incident sits at the centre. On one side, how much work was lost; on the other, how long until people are working again. Each layer is shown with what it survives and what it does not — that second half is the reason the next layer exists.
The bars are relative and meant for comparing layers — not a commitment to timings in a specific environment.
The test
An untested backup is not protection — it is an expectation. A job that has completed successfully every night for two years proves the job ran; it does not prove the data is intact, and it does not prove the restore will meet the time you promised. That gap usually surfaces on the worst possible day.
So restore testing is part of the service rather than an extra: actually restoring files and machines, measuring how long it really took, and comparing that against the target that was set.
Platforms
The tool is chosen by the virtualization platform, the data volumes and the recovery targets — not from a fixed product shelf. Two of them have a full page; the other two are implemented in the estates where they are the right choice.
Proof
Ariston Group
As part of the controlled VMware to Proxmox migration, backup and continuity were addressed within the project — keeping systems protected through the migration stages and in the new environment.
ILS Networks has designed and maintained backup and business-continuity systems for organizations in Israel.
FAQ
ILS Networks works with the leading enterprise backup platforms: Veeam Backup & Replication, Cove Backup, Dell Avamar, and Proxmox Backup Server. The tool choice is driven by your environment — the virtualization platform, data volumes, backup targets, and budget — not by a fixed product shelf.
RPO is how much data you can afford to lose — the distance between the incident and the last good copy. RTO is how long you can afford to be down — the distance between the incident and the moment people are working again. They are measured in two different directions from the same point, which is why a layer that excels at one does not necessarily excel at the other.
A local backup is stored on site and enables fast restores of files and machines. An off-site copy is stored at a different location and protects against scenarios where the primary site is hit — fire, physical damage, or a ransomware event that encrypts the local backup as well. A cloud copy adds a further layer of separation and availability. A well-designed backup system combines more than one layer, according to how critical the systems are and what the organization requires.
No. Replication copies what went wrong as well — a mistaken deletion or an encryption crosses to the other side almost immediately. It is excellent for cutting downtime, but it adds to a backup rather than replacing one.
Yes. An untested backup is an assumption, not protection. Restore testing is part of the service: actually restoring files and machines from the backup to verify the data is intact and the recovery meets expectations — before a real incident forces you to find out.
The design starts with the business questions: which systems are critical, how much data you can afford to lose (RPO), and how long you can afford to be down (RTO). The architecture is derived from those objectives — backup frequency, copy locations, replication, and recovery scenarios — so the system matches your actual needs rather than the other way around.
Yes. When moving between virtualization platforms — for example from VMware to Proxmox — the backup architecture is redesigned as part of the project, so systems stay protected through every stage of the migration and after it. That is how we worked, for example, on the Ariston Group migration to Proxmox.
Backup is the copy; disaster recovery is the ability to get working again. An organization can hold a valid backup and still be down for days if there is nowhere to restore to and nobody who knows how. That is why planning uses two measures: RPO — how much data may be lost, and RTO — how long until work resumes.
Only by restoring from it. A backup reporting success every night can still fail on restore — a corrupt file, a missing encryption key, a machine that will not boot. We run a restore test as part of building the system, and do not consider it finished until recovery has been demonstrated.
Both, which is why the 3-2-1 rule still holds: three copies, on two kinds of media, one off-site. The local copy gives fast recovery; the off-site copy survives an event that hits the site itself — fire, flood, or ransomware that reached the network storage.
Next step
A short technical call with the team: how the systems are backed up today, what happens in a real restore scenario, and what an orderly system takes. No commitment.
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+972-54-454-6020