An Untested Backup Is a Hope, Not a Plan

The least interesting item on the launch checklist is the one that actually saves businesses: hosting, done properly.

Four questions to ask about your current setup. Most owners can't answer any of them — and that's exactly the problem.

1. If the site went down right now, who would notice first — you, or a customer?
2. When did a backup last run? Not “is there a backup” — when, and where is it actually stored?
3. Has anyone ever actually restored from that backup? An untested backup is a hope, not a plan.
4. Does your site have SSL, and does it renew automatically — or will it silently expire on a long weekend?

None of this is hard. All of it is invisible, right up until the exact moment it's everything.