Backup restore testing: proving recovery instead of assuming it

A completed backup job proves that data was written somewhere. It does not prove that a service can be restored in the time the business needs. Set recovery objectives for each service: how much data loss is acceptable, how long can the service be unavailable, and which dependencies must be restored first? Select a representative restore test, perform it in a safe environment, and measure the real time required from request to usable service. Validate more than file recovery. Test application startup, permissions, database consistency, identity integration, and user access. Record the result and update the runbook. Restore testing turns backup reporting into evidence that recovery is workable.