BACKUP AND RECOVERY AUDIT: ASSESSES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BACKUP AND RECOVERY PROCESSES FOR IT SYSTEMS AND DATA
Ensuring Business Continuity and Data Integrity through Robust Audit and Compliance Practices
Course Schedule
| Date | Venue | Fees (Face-to-Face) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 – 16 May 2025 | London, UK | USD 3495 per delegate |
Course Introduction
Backup and recovery are vital elements of an organization’s IT risk management strategy. An effective audit of these processes ensures that business-critical data can be restored promptly and accurately in the event of system failures, cyberattacks, or disasters.
This 5-day advanced training course is designed to help IT auditors, system administrators, and risk professionals assess the integrity, completeness, and recoverability of backup systems. Participants will gain the skills to evaluate policies, procedures, technologies, and controls using globally recognized frameworks such as COBIT, NIST, and ISO/IEC 27031. Through case studies and simulations, learners will explore technical, operational, and governance issues that affect backup and recovery assurance.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
• Plan and execute audits of backup and disaster recovery controls
• Evaluate backup schedules, retention policies, and media security
• Assess recovery testing, documentation, and incident response integration
• Identify compliance gaps in alignment with ISO, NIST, and organizational policies
• Recommend improvements to strengthen resilience and reduce data loss risk
Key Benefits of Attending
• Ensure your organization’s ability to recover from cyberattacks, hardware failure, and disasters
• Master technical and governance audit criteria for backup/recovery controls
• Detect risks such as backup failures, incomplete coverage, or non-tested recovery plans
• Benchmark against international best practices and compliance standards
• Gain practical audit tools and reporting templates for IT assurance professionals
Intended Audience
This program is designed for:
• IT auditors and information systems auditors
• Disaster recovery and business continuity professionals
• IT risk managers and compliance officers
• System administrators and backup/recovery engineers
• Anyone responsible for IT governance, assurance, or operations continuity
Individual Benefits
Key competencies that will be developed include:
• Planning and conducting technical IT control audits
• Mapping backup/recovery processes to policy and regulatory standards
• Reviewing infrastructure for resilience and redundancy gaps
• Documenting audit evidence and generating prioritized recommendations
• Interfacing with IT operations and cybersecurity teams effectively
Organization Benefits
Upon completing the training course, participants will demonstrate:
• Higher confidence in data protection and recovery readiness
• Fewer vulnerabilities from outdated or poorly tested backup plans
• Improved compliance with data retention, business continuity, and IT governance mandates
• Consistent audit execution and evidence-based recommendations
• Stronger collaboration between IT, audit, and risk teams
Instructional Methdology
The course follows a blended learning approach combining theory with practice:
• Framework Briefings – COBIT, NIST SP 800-34, ISO/IEC 27031, and more
• Real-World Case Studies – IT failures and recovery audit findings
• Hands-On Workshops – Audit planning, control testing, and evidence collection
• Simulations – Backup failure diagnostics and DR testing walkthroughs
• Audit Tools & Templates – Control checklists, report formats, and testing matrices
Course Outline
Training Hours: 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Daily Format: 3–4 Learning Modules | Coffee Breaks: 09:30 & 11:15 | Lunch Buffet: 01:00 – 02:00
Day 1: Foundations of Backup and Recovery Audit
Module 1: Backup & Recovery Risks and Business Impact (07:30 – 09:30)
• IT failure scenarios and data loss consequences
• Types of backups: full, incremental, differential
• Recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO)
Module 2: Governance and Audit Frameworks (09:45 – 11:15)
• NIST, ISO/IEC 27001 & 27031, COBIT, and ITIL guidance
• Key audit principles for backup systems
Module 3: Policies, Standards, and Responsibilities (11:30 – 01:00)
• Backup/recovery policy review checklist
• Roles of IT, risk, and management in assurance
Module 4: Workshop – Develop a Backup Audit Scope Plan (02:00 – 03:30)
• Define objectives and scope for a sample organization
Day 2: Audit Planning and Control Mapping
Module 5: Inventory and Control Environment (07:30 – 09:30)
• Backup scope coverage: systems, apps, data, users
• Mapping systems to business functions
Module 6: Backup Configurations and Scheduling (09:45 – 11:15)
• Backup types, frequency, retention schedules
• Review of automated backup logs and software configs
Module 7: Media Management and Storage (11:30 – 01:00)
• Offsite storage, cloud backups, and physical security
• Encryption, tamper resistance, and chain of custody
Module 8: Workshop – Control Testing Simulation (02:00 – 03:30)
• Test sample policies, logs, and storage devices
Day 3: Recovery Readiness and Testing
Module 9: Disaster Recovery (DR) Integration (07:30 – 09:30)
• Link between backup and DR plans
• Business continuity dependencies and testing protocols
Module 10: Recovery Testing Procedures (09:45 – 11:15)
• Hot, warm, and cold site validations
• Tabletop vs live failover testing
Module 11: Validation and Audit Evidence Gathering (11:30 – 01:00)
• Assessing test results, logs, and documentation trails
• Interviewing IT staff and confirming readiness
Module 12: Workshop – Audit a Recovery Test Report (02:00 – 03:30)
• Review and validate evidence from a recent DR test
Day 4: Compliance, Risk, and Reporting
Module 13: Backup Compliance and Retention Obligations (07:30 – 09:30)
• Data privacy, industry-specific mandates (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, SOX)
• Retention schedules and recordkeeping
Module 14: Identifying Gaps and Risk Exposures (09:45 – 11:15)
• Detection of non-compliance and exposure mapping
• Risk ratings and root cause documentation
Module 15: Audit Findings and Recommendation Development (11:30 – 01:00)
• Remediation planning
• SMART action writing
Module 16: Workshop – Write an Audit Observation and Recommendation (02:00 – 03:30)
• Document control gap and propose corrective action
Day 5: Final Assessment and Audit Simulation
Module 17: Review of Tools, Templates, and Best Practices (07:30 – 09:30)
• Standard audit programs
• Checklists and automated tools
Module 18: Emerging Trends in Backup Technologies (09:45 – 11:15)
• Cloud-native backups, immutable storage, zero-trust backup models
• AI-driven monitoring and future risks
Module 19: Capstone Simulation – End-to-End Backup/Recovery Audit (11:30 – 01:00)
• Conduct and present a mock audit for a hypothetical company
Module 20: Final Debrief & Certification Ceremony (02:00 – 03:30)
• Course summary, evaluations, and certificate presentation
Certification
Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion in Backup and Recovery Audit, confirming their competence to assess, validate, and report on the effectiveness of IT backup and disaster recovery systems in alignment with industry frameworks and best practices.