ISO 27001 A.8.13: backups, explained for startups

A.8.13 Information backup

Important data is backed up and you have proved you can restore it. What proves it: backups on a schedule, and a restore that was actually tested.

A certification auditor samples backup logs and a restore test. A file that usually does the job: backup job history and a ticket recording a successful test restore.

How to put it in place

Each step leaves a record, and the record is what the auditor samples rather than the step itself. Inside Polara, the control card for A.8.13 walks you through it in this order.

1. Turn on automated backups for databases and file stores.
2. Restore one backup into a test environment and check the data.
3. Record the result and repeat at least once a year.

The free ISO 27001 readiness assessment asks one question that evidences it:

• Are backups automated, and have you tested a restore in the last 12 months?

Policies, connectors and the SOC 2 overlap

In the ISO 27001 policy pack, the Backup and Redundancy Policy covers A.8.13. An auditor reads the policy for the rule, then samples the records to see the rule was followed.

The same evidence counts toward SOC 2. The Trust Services criteria that cover this ground: CC7.5, incident recovery and A1.2, recovery infrastructure.

Technological controls

A.8.13 is one of the 34 technological controls in Annex A. The controls built into your systems: access, devices, malware, vulnerabilities, backups, logging, networks, encryption and secure development. Exports and settings screenshots prove most of them.

Nearby controls in the same theme:

• A.8.10, deleting information
• A.8.11, data masking
• A.8.12, data leak prevention
• A.8.14, redundancy
• A.8.15, logging
• A.8.16, monitoring for anomalies

Before it: A.8.12, data leak prevention. After it: A.8.14, redundancy. Every control, by theme, is on the Annex A controls page.