As Web site developers in Bellevue and Seattle, WA, we come across a lot of people who just assume that when you put a Web site up someplace, it will just work. In fact, Web sites are hosted on servers and they break sometimes. It is important to have a plan to deal with that unlikely event.
- First, determine who’s responsibility it is to backup the files on your site. Is it something that is included in your Web hosting plan? Is it guaranteed to work? If not, is it your responsibility?
- Next, have a written plan. It should include the location of the backup files and what steps would be necessary to restore the site from a backup. A backup should include:
- All files on the server
- A copy of the database tables
- Any server settings such as cron jobs and scheduled tasks
- Email boxes and their settings, if that is applicable.
- Test the plan: It is important to do a dry-run of your plan to make sure it works.
Following these 3 steps will help you immensely in the case of a hardware or software failure.
