From Chaos to Clarity: Role of Documentation for Effective Backup Strategies in Confluence & Jira

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Documentation is like a lighthouse - it guides you safely through the fog of uncertainty. Moreover, thorough documentation is a necessary measure when it comes to the security of your Jira and Confluence account data. 

So, how to build your backup documentation effectively? What measures should your backup strategy include to guarantee BCDR and meet compliance requirements? Vectors and GitProtect decided to join their forces and find out…

Backup documentation - let’s break down the term 

It’s great when everything is in its place and you don’t need to do any aside actions that can disturb you from your core duties, isn’t it? That’s not the office utopia - that is the peace of mind that thorough and effective documentation brings. And when it comes to data security, it’s especially critical… 

 Once we say “backup documentation”, we mean the detailed records and instructions that outline the procedures, policies, and configurations related to the organization’s data backup processes.

Why is backup documentation a must-have?

Let’s imagine the worst scenario - data loss, ransomware or cyber attack, your infrastructure failure or any other event of a disaster (believe us or not, such situations happen - check out The State of DevOps Threats Report)... What will you do to ensure consistent and reliable data recovery in this case? 

 Well-built backup documentation provides a clear roadmap for IT teams to follow during critical situations and an effective backup strategy helps to minimize downtime and operational disruptions. With predefined backup documentation, all team members will have a clear understanding of the backup processes, which, in turn,  will help reduce human errors and enable seamless transitions when staff changes occur. 

 Moreover, backup and thoroughly documented procedures are necessary measures for compliance with industry regulations and standards. Not to be unfounded, here are some abstracts from the official documents:

“For the purpose of ensuring the restoration of ICT systems and data with minimum downtime, limited disruption and loss, as part of their ICT risk management framework, financial entities shall develop and document: (a) backup policies and procedures specifying the scope of the data that is subject to the backup and the minimum frequency of the backup, based on the criticality of information or the confidentiality level of the data; (b) restoration and recovery procedures and methods.”

💬 Source: Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 of the European Parliament and of the Council on digital operational resilience for the financial sector and amending Regulations

“(A) Data backup plan (Required). Establish and implement procedures to create and maintain retrievable exact copies of electronic protected health information. (B) Disaster recovery plan (Required). Establish (and implement as needed) procedures to restore any loss of data.” 

💬 Source: HIPAA Security Rule under the HITECH Act: Contingency Plan (Standard) (§ 164.308(a)(7)

 “… the controller and the processor shall implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk, including inter alia as appropriate: … the ability to restore the availability and access to personal data in a timely manner in the event of a physical or technical incident..”

💬  Source: Art. 32 GDPR

Backup documentation best practices & key backup features

Every company builds its backup policy documentation within its needs and requirements. Thus, from company to company, these documents may vary a bit. However, some core sections are important to include. Let’s look at them more precisely.

Define the purpose and scope of your backup policy

In this part of your backup documentation, it’s important to highlight the reasons why your company needs proper backup policies. They may include the importance of data protection and its recoverability, guarantee of business continuity and the consistency of workflow operations, and compliance with straightened regulations. 

Moreover, this section should also cover and specify what data your backup policy should include.

 💡 PRO Security Tip: When you build your backup strategy, you need to make sure that your backup covers all your critical data. Thus, if we speak about Jira, your backup should include projects, issues, users, workflows, comments, audit logs, notifications, etc. In this case, if a disaster strikes, you will eliminate data loss and ensure data consistency.

Identify roles and responsibilities within your team

To make sure that your IT team works as a clock, it’s worth clearly defining the roles and responsibilities for backup and Disaster Recovery procedures within your team. Thus, here you should define who is responsible for performing and monitoring backups, test restores and, in case of a failure, who is responsible for restoring your data from backup. 

💡 PRO Security Tip: Ideally, your backup software should allow you to set roles and permissions. For example, with GitProtect backup & DR software, you can grant different permissions to your team members depending on their obligations and tasks. Thus, you have the option to set those who can only view the result of backup processes, create backup tasks, restore data, or have full control over backup and restore performance. 

Facilitate access to critical knowledge 

Effective backup documentation depends on more than just detailed procedures; it also requires easy access to information, especially during critical moments. Your documentation needs to include sections that are easy to access and maintain, and deal with specific scenarios. But what are they?

 Start by adding a centralized glossary to your documentation hub. This section should define essential terms and concepts, helping all team members—from seasoned professionals to those less familiar with the terminology—understand and follow the procedures accurately. A well-maintained glossary ensures that everyone has a clear understanding of the language used, reducing confusion and improving efficiency.

 Additionally, include an FAQ section that addresses common issues and questions. This part of your documentation should provide solutions to frequent challenges, such as troubleshooting backup failures and more. Having these answers readily available ensures that your team can quickly resolve problems without having to search through extensive documentation or wait for external help.

Conclusion

 A well-structured backup documentation is not just a best practice—it’s a necessity. A comprehensive backup strategy ensures that organizations can swiftly recover from data loss, cyberattacks, or system failures while maintaining compliance with industry regulations.

Effective documentation should be clear, accessible, and adaptable, covering key elements such as roles and responsibilities, procedural guidelines, and critical knowledge hubs like glossaries and FAQs. By fostering a structured approach to backup documentation, businesses can minimize risks, reduce downtime, and enhance operational efficiency.