Data Backup & Recovery
in Grand Rapids
Protect Everything. Recover From Anything.
Data loss doesn’t announce itself. A ransomware attack, a hardware failure, an accidental deletion, a natural disaster — any one of them can bring your business to a standstill in minutes. Real IT Solutions deploys a structured, multi-layer backup and disaster recovery solution for businesses across Grand Rapids, Kent County, and West Michigan, with documented recovery time objectives and backup jobs running every four hours.
- On-Site BDR Appliance + Real IT’s Own Secure Datacenter
- Server Backups Every 4 Hours
- RTO: Critical Systems Recovered Within 4 Hours
- AES-256 Encryption + TLS 1.3 in Transit
- Microsoft 365 SaaS Backup Included
What Data Loss Actually Costs a Business
Downtime. Recovery Costs. Reputation.
Most business owners think of backup as an IT checkbox — something they have, somewhere, probably fine. That assumption is one of the most dangerous in business technology.
When data loss occurs — and for many organizations, it’s a matter of when, not if — the costs go far beyond the lost files themselves:
- Operational downtime — every hour your systems are offline is an hour your employees can’t work, your customers can’t be served, and your revenue stops
- Recovery costs — professional data recovery from failed hardware can cost tens of thousands of dollars with no guarantee of success
- Ransomware demands — attackers routinely demand five and six-figure ransoms, and paying doesn’t guarantee your data comes back intact
- Regulatory exposure — businesses in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing face compliance penalties for data loss events that affect protected information
- Reputational damage — clients and partners who lose confidence in your ability to protect data rarely come back
The businesses that recover from data loss events quickly and completely are the ones that had a structured, tested backup and disaster recovery plan in place before the incident happened. Real IT Solutions builds that plan — and manages it — for businesses across West Michigan.
How Real IT’s Backup & Disaster Recovery Works
Local. Offsite. Encrypted. Tested.
Real IT Solutions deploys a robust Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) appliance on-site at your location, fortified by offsite replication to Real IT’s own secured datacenter. Your data is protected at two independent locations simultaneously — so that no single event can destroy both your primary systems and your ability to recover them.
The 3-2-1 Backup Strategy
The Gold Standard. Implemented For You.
Real IT Solutions implements the 3-2-1 backup rule as the foundation of every client’s data protection strategy. It’s the framework recommended by NIST SP 800-53 and considered the industry standard for business data protection:
| The Rule | What It Means | How Real IT Implements It |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Copies of Your Data | Primary data plus two independent backup copies | Your live data, the on-site BDR appliance, and Real IT’s offsite datacenter |
| 2 Different Media Types | Backups stored on at least two different types of storage | Local encrypted backup appliance and secured offsite replication |
| 1 Copy Offsite | At least one copy in a geographically separate location | Real IT’s secured, climate-controlled datacenter with 24/7 physical security and redundant power |
Continuous Protection — Backups Every 4 Hours
Minimal Data Loss. Maximum Coverage.
Real IT’s standard backup schedule runs server backup jobs every four hours — guaranteeing that in a worst-case scenario, the maximum data loss your organization faces is four hours of work, not days or weeks. Backup timing is staggered to prevent network congestion, and all backups complete before your business day begins at 6:00 AM. Weekend full system validation is performed to confirm backup integrity on a regular cadence.
The backup frequency is flexible and can be adjusted based on your specific operational needs and regulatory requirements.
Incremental Forever Retention Strategy
Go Back As Far As You Need.
Real IT’s backup solution uses an incremental forever retention strategy — an initial full backup followed by continuous incremental backups that can be synthesized into virtual full backups at any point. This approach maximizes storage efficiency while giving you granular restore options across an extended retention window.
| Retention Period | What’s Kept |
|---|---|
| 7 Days | All backup jobs retained in full — maximum granularity for recent recovery |
| 4 Weeks | Most recent successful backup from each of the past four weeks |
| 1 Year | Most recent successful backup from each of the past twelve months |
This retention schedule ensures that whether you need to restore a file deleted yesterday or investigate a compromise that began months ago, you have the recovery point you need.
Recovery Time & Recovery Point Objectives
Real Commitments. Not Vague Promises.
Most IT providers talk about backup without ever committing to how fast they can actually get you back online. Real IT Solutions documents specific Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) for every client — so you know exactly what to expect before an incident occurs, not after.
| System Priority | Recovery Time Objective (RTO) | Recovery Point Objective (RPO) |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Systems | 4 hours maximum | Up to 4 hours of data — point-in-time recovery available for critical databases |
| High Priority Systems | 8 hours maximum | Up to 24 hours of data based on daily backup cycle |
| Standard Systems | 24 hours maximum | Up to 24 hours of data based on daily backup cycle |
In the event of an on-premises server failure, our BDR appliance enables quick failover — spinning up a virtualized copy of your server to maintain business operations while the primary system is restored. Your team stays productive. Your operations continue. The clock doesn’t stop.
Backup Security & Encryption
Your Backup Data Is As Protected As Your Live Data.
A backup is only valuable if it’s secure. Unencrypted backup data is a target — attackers who compromise a backup repository can destroy recovery options and weaponize the data itself. Real IT Solutions applies enterprise-grade encryption and security controls to every layer of the backup environment, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 controls.
- AES-256 encryption at rest — all backup data stored on encrypted, dedicated backup appliances both on-site and at Real IT’s datacenter
- TLS 1.3 encryption in transit — all data transmitted between your environment and the offsite datacenter is secured during transfer
- Secured offsite datacenter — geographically separated facility with 24/7 physical security monitoring, climate-controlled environment, redundant power, and access restricted to authorized personnel only
- Secure data destruction — expired backups are destroyed following NIST SP 800-88 guidelines with chain of custody documentation for all backup media
- NIST SP 800-53 aligned — backup procedures aligned with CP-6 (Alternate Storage Site), CP-9 (System Backup), CP-10 (Information System Recovery), SC-28 (Protection of Information at Rest), and SC-8 (Transmission Confidentiality)
What Gets Backed Up
Servers. Workstations. Microsoft 365.
Server Backup
Image-Based. Fully Recoverable.
All production servers and critical systems are backed up on Real IT’s standard 4-hour schedule, with offsite replication to Real IT’s secured datacenter. Server backups are image-based, enabling full system recovery — not just file restoration — in the event of a complete server failure. This means your server environment, operating system, applications, and data are all recoverable as a complete unit.
Microsoft 365 SaaS Backup
The Blind Spot Most Businesses Don’t Know About.
One of the most common misconceptions in business IT is that Microsoft backs up your Microsoft 365 data. They do not. Microsoft’s responsibility covers the availability of the platform — not the recovery of your specific data if it’s accidentally deleted, maliciously wiped, or corrupted by ransomware.
Real IT Solutions provides an independent, tamper-resistant SaaS Backup for Microsoft 365 that protects your email, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive data against accidental deletion, malicious deletion, sync failures, and ransomware-related data loss. Your M365 data has a separate, independent recovery point that Microsoft’s native tools cannot provide.
Workstation Backup
Every Employee. Every Machine.
Individual workstations can be enrolled in Real IT’s cloud-based workstation backup solution — enabling rapid restoration of individual employee machines in the event of hardware failure, theft, or data loss. Workstation backup ensures that an employee’s local data, configurations, and files are recoverable without the extended delay of a full workstation rebuild. Available as an additional service.
Ransomware Recovery — Your Last Line of Defense
Don’t Pay The Ransom. Restore From Backup.
Ransomware is the most common reason businesses in Grand Rapids and Kent County wish they had a better backup strategy. When ransomware encrypts your systems, your options are stark: pay the ransom, attempt manual recovery, or restore from a clean backup.
A properly structured backup environment makes the third option viable. Real IT’s backup solution is specifically designed with ransomware recovery in mind:
- Offsite replication to Real IT’s own datacenter means ransomware that encrypts your on-site environment cannot reach your offsite backup copies
- Tamper-resistant M365 backup protects your cloud data independently of your on-premise environment
- 4-hour backup frequency means a ransomware event that triggers today results in at most 4 hours of data loss — not weeks
- Failover capability means your team can continue operating on virtualized systems while primary infrastructure is cleaned and restored
- Documented RTO of 4 hours for critical systems means you have a recovery commitment in writing, not a hope
- Backup verification and testing means you know your backups will work before you desperately need them to
If your current backup strategy doesn’t address all of these points, your ransomware recovery capability has gaps. A free backup assessment from Real IT Solutions identifies exactly where those gaps are.
Don’t Wait For a Disaster to Find Out
If you’re not certain your current backup would survive a ransomware attack — or any data loss event — now is the time to find out. A free backup assessment from Real IT Solutions takes about 30 minutes and gives you an honest picture of where your recovery capability stands today.
Backup Monitoring, Verification & Testing
A Backup You Haven’t Tested Is A Backup You Can’t Trust.
An untested backup is not a backup — it’s a hope. Real IT Solutions monitors and validates your backup environment continuously, ensuring that your recovery capability is real and current, not theoretical.
- Automated backup completion verification — every backup job is confirmed successful before the business day begins
- Automated alerts for backup failures or anomalies — our team is notified immediately if a backup job fails, with root cause analysis and remediation within 8 business hours
- Dashboard reporting on backup success rates and storage health
- Weekend full system validation to confirm backup integrity on a regular cadence
- Alternative backup methods activated automatically if the primary backup process fails
- Regular recovery testing to verify that backups can be successfully restored when needed
If a backup fails, Real IT’s team knows about it before you do — and is already working to resolve it.
A Backup Strategy Built Around Your Business
Customized. Documented. Managed.
Every business has different data, different compliance requirements, and different operational tolerances for downtime. Real IT Solutions doesn’t apply a one-size-fits-all backup configuration and call it done.
Your Account Manager and vCIO work with you to understand your specific requirements — the systems that are most critical, the regulatory frameworks you operate under, the recovery time your business can realistically tolerate — and build a documented backup and disaster recovery strategy around those needs.
The result is a written backup policy that specifies your backup schedule, recovery objectives, retention schedule, security controls, roles and responsibilities, and emergency contact procedures. Not a verbal assurance — a documented plan that your organization owns and Real IT Solutions executes.
- Customized backup solution or proven standard configuration — depending on your requirements
- Compliance alignment — HIPAA, CMMC, NIST SP 800-53, and other frameworks as applicable
- Documented backup policy with defined RTO, RPO, and retention schedules
- Ongoing vCIO oversight and annual backup strategy review
- 24/7 emergency recovery support with on-call engineer escalation
Verified Client Testimonials from Clutch
Frequently Asked Questions
No Jargon. Just Answers.
Q: What backup and disaster recovery solutions does Real IT Solutions offer? A: Real IT Solutions deploys an on-site Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) appliance at your location, with continuous replication to Real IT’s own secured, geographically separated datacenter. Server backups run every four hours. We also provide independent SaaS Backup for Microsoft 365, workstation backup, and failover capabilities that keep your business operating during a server failure. Every solution is built on the 3-2-1 backup framework and aligned with NIST SP 800-53 controls.
Q: What is RTO and RPO and what are Real IT’s targets? A: RTO (Recovery Time Objective) is how quickly we can get your systems back online after a failure. RPO (Recovery Point Objective) is the maximum amount of data you could lose — measured in time. Real IT’s RTO targets are: critical systems 4 hours, high priority 8 hours, standard 24 hours. Our RPO is up to 4 hours for servers on our standard backup schedule, since backup jobs run every 4 hours. Point-in-time recovery is available for critical databases. These objectives are documented in your backup policy.
Q: What is the 3-2-1 backup rule and does Real IT follow it? A: The 3-2-1 backup rule is the industry standard framework for data protection: 3 copies of your data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy stored offsite. Real IT Solutions implements this fully — your live data, an encrypted on-site BDR appliance, and offsite replication to Real IT’s own secured datacenter. All three copies are maintained simultaneously so that no single event can destroy your ability to recover.
Q: How is my backup data encrypted and secured? A: All backup data is encrypted using AES-256 at rest and transmitted using TLS 1.3 encryption in transit. On-site backups are stored on encrypted, dedicated backup appliances. Offsite backup data is stored in Real IT’s secured datacenter with 24/7 physical security monitoring, climate-controlled environment, redundant power, and access restricted to authorized personnel. Expired backups are destroyed following NIST SP 800-88 secure data destruction guidelines.
Q: Is Microsoft 365 data automatically backed up by Microsoft? A: No — and this is one of the most common and costly misconceptions in business IT. Microsoft is responsible for the availability and uptime of the Microsoft 365 platform. They are not responsible for recovering your specific data if it is accidentally deleted, maliciously wiped, corrupted by ransomware, or lost due to a sync failure. Real IT Solutions provides an independent, tamper-resistant SaaS Backup for Microsoft 365 that covers your email, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive data with its own separate recovery points.
Q: How does backup protect against ransomware specifically? A: Ransomware that encrypts your on-site systems cannot reach your offsite backup copies at Real IT’s datacenter — they are geographically and logically separated. Our 4-hour backup frequency means a ransomware event results in at most 4 hours of data loss. Our M365 SaaS Backup protects your cloud data independently. Failover capability keeps your team operational during recovery. And our documented 4-hour RTO for critical systems means you have a recovery commitment in writing. The combination of these protections means ransomware becomes a recoverable incident rather than a business-ending event.
Q: Do you test backups to make sure they actually work? A: Yes — and this is one of the most important things we do. Every backup job is automatically verified for completion before your business day begins. We perform weekend full system validation on a regular cadence. Automated alerts notify our team immediately if a backup fails, and root cause analysis and remediation begin within 8 business hours. We also perform recovery testing to verify that backups can actually be restored. If your backup fails silently and you discover it during a disaster, you have no recovery option. Our monitoring ensures you never face that scenario.
Q: How quickly can you recover my data after a disaster? A: Real IT Solutions documents specific Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) for every client. Critical systems are recovered within 4 hours maximum. High priority systems within 8 hours. Standard systems within 24 hours. For on-premises server failures, our BDR appliance enables immediate failover — virtualizing your server environment so your team can continue working while the primary system is restored. These are documented commitments, not estimates.
Find Out If Your Backup Would Actually Save You
Your Next Step Is Simple.
Most businesses across Grand Rapids and Kent County don’t know the real state of their backup and disaster recovery capability until they face a crisis. A free backup assessment from Real IT Solutions gives you a clear, honest picture of your current data protection — and what it would take to recover if something went wrong today.
Schedule Your Free Backup Assessment
No obligation. No sales pressure. Just a straightforward conversation about your data and how to protect it.
- Call us: 616.209.8900
- Email: helpdesk@realitsolutions.com
- 720 3 Mile Rd NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49544