Your Backups Are Not Your Cyber Strategy (But They’d Better Be Tested)
- Mike Slodowski
- Oct 8
- 2 min read
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Everyone is talking about prevention. That is fine, but when ransomware or a bad update hits, only one thing matters: how fast you can restore.
And that has nothing to do with your EDR, firewall, or insurance policy.
Security Is Not Recovery
A lot of MSPs stop at “we have backups.” That is like saying you own a fire extinguisher without ever checking if it works.
Real resilience means routine restore testing.
Verify that data actually restores.
Measure realistic RTO and RPO.
Document the results so you can prove it when it counts.
If you skip those steps, you are running a very expensive hope experiment.
Proxmox Backups That Actually Work
Virtualization is everywhere now, and Proxmox VE has quietly become the open-source favorite for MSPs who want control without the high licensing costs.
Until now, solid Proxmox backups were hard to come by.
That is why we added Proxmox Backup as a protected item inside Magnus Box.
With Magnus Box, you can:
Back up Proxmox VMs and volumes alongside your other workloads
Schedule, replicate, and verify restores
Use immutability and off-site replication to keep data safe from ransomware
Generate proof-of-restore reports for compliance without taking screenshots
One platform. Simple configuration. Restores that actually work.
Why Testing Still Matters
Security tools stop attacks. Backups get you back to business. Testing proves that your plan is more than a checkbox.
Every test you run pays off three ways:
Confidence. You know your restore works under pressure.
Compliance. Auditors want proof. Automation gives you receipts.
Credibility. Clients see a tested plan, not marketing slides.
Run a restore test at least once a quarter. Log the results. Adjust your retention and replication based on what you learn.
And if that sounds like work, let Magnus Box automation handle most of it for you.
Three Tests Worth Doing
Test Type | Why It Matters | What to Verify | How Often |
File-Level Restore | Proves you can recover specific client data without a full system restore | Restored files open correctly and match integrity checks | Monthly |
VM Recovery (Proxmox, VMware, Hyper-V) | Confirms full system recovery under real conditions | VM boots cleanly, core services start, apps respond normally | Quarterly |
Off-Site Restore Drill | Verifies your ransomware-safe copy actually restores | Restore from immutable or air-gapped storage to a clean site | Twice per year |
Pro tip: Rotate who runs each test. If only one tech knows how to restore, you do not have a backup plan; you have a single point of failure.
The Business Case
For MSP owners, restore testing is not just good hygiene. It is how you protect your backup revenue.
When you can show a client:
Verified backups
Real restore times
Immutable storage proof
…it becomes much easier to defend your price when renewals come around. Especially when your competitors are still promising “rock-solid protection” without proof.
TL;DR
Backups are not cybersecurity, but tested backups are your last line of defense.
Proxmox Backup is now available in Magnus Box.
Testing is the new selling. Proof beats promises every time.
See how Proxmox backups work inside Magnus Box, and run your first restore test before October ends.