Backup Strategy
A backup strategy answers three questions: What is backed up, how often, and where. For websites, this means backing up files and the database together, because a database without the corresponding files is worthless.
The 3-2-1 rule has proven effective: three copies of the data, on two different media, one of which is stored elsewhere. For a website: the running system, a backup with the hosting provider, and a backup stored off-site, for example, in separate storage.
The most common mistake is backing up to the same server. If the server fails, is hacked, or locked down, both backups and data are lost. The second most common mistake is insufficient retention time: If damage isn't noticed for two weeks, seven daily backups are useless. A mixed approach is recommended, for example, daily backups for two weeks and weekly backups for two months.
And the point that almost everyone skips: testing the restore process. A backup that's never restored is just a guess, not a backup. Running it once a year on a staging environment is sufficient.
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