Hosting Backups and Business Continuity
Backups, redundancy and recovery planning solve different problems. Knowing which is which helps you decide what your business still needs to protect on its own.
RAID isn't a backup
RAID is designed primarily to provide hardware redundancy. It can help a server continue operating through certain drive failures.
It does not necessarily protect against:
- Accidental deletion
- Corrupted files
- Malicious changes
- Application problems
- Compromised accounts
- Every kind of hardware failure
Why the difference matters
When a file is deleted or overwritten, RAID copies that change to every drive straight away. That's what it's designed to do.
A backup is a separate copy taken at a point in time, so it can bring back data that has since been changed or lost.
What to know about server backups
Hosting infrastructure can include redundancy and backup measures, but no single technology eliminates every risk. Backup arrangements can differ by plan, so confirm the details for your account before relying on them.
| Backup frequency | Ask us for the current details for your plan. |
|---|---|
| Retention | Ask us for the current details for your plan. |
| Restore process | Ask us for the current details for your plan. |
| Restore charges | Ask us for the current details for your plan. |
To ask about a restore, open a support ticket from the client portal with the domain, what needs to be restored and roughly when things were last working.
Keep your own important copies
No hosting backup strategy should be the only copy of business-critical information.
A few habits go a long way:
- Download your website files and export your databases regularly — more often if your site changes every day.
- Store those copies away from the hosting server: on your own computer, an external drive or separate cloud storage.
- Open a backup now and then to check that it actually works.
- Keep copies of important email that you can't afford to lose.
Who looks after what
We manage the hosting environment. You manage the website running inside it.
Cid Hosting
- Hosting platform and server software within scope
- Routine server administration
- Infrastructure-related hosting issues
You
- Your own independent backups of business-critical data
- Website content, code, CMS, plugins and themes
- Passwords, users and account security
Backup and continuity questions
Is RAID the same as a backup?
No. RAID can help a server continue operating after certain drive failures, but it is not the same as a separate backup. Accidental deletions, corrupted files, malicious changes and compromised accounts are copied across RAID drives just like normal changes. Backups should be treated separately, and businesses should keep independent copies of critical data.
What is the difference between business continuity and disaster recovery?
Business continuity is about keeping your website and email available through smaller problems. Disaster recovery is about getting back to a working state after a bigger failure, usually by restoring from a backup. Both depend on more than one copy of your data.
How often are hosting accounts backed up?
Backup arrangements can differ by plan and service. Ask us for the current backup schedule and retention for your plan before relying on it, and keep your own copies of anything your business cannot afford to lose.
How do I ask about a restore?
Open a support ticket from the client portal. Include the domain, what needs to be restored and roughly when things were last working. We will let you know what is possible for your account.
How do I make my own backup?
cPanel includes a Backup tool for downloading your home directory, databases and email forwarders. Our Help Center has step-by-step articles on backing up your cPanel account and databases. Store the copies somewhere other than the hosting server.
This page explains general principles and is not a service level agreement. Your hosting terms of service apply.
Questions about protecting your site?
Ask us what's in place for your plan, or how to set up your own backups.
