Executive Summary
A UK EdTech provider had backups running on a schedule, but had never actually tested whether they could be restored. For an education sector platform handling pupil data, “we take backups” is not the same as “we can recover from a disaster”. Logicata extended the customer’s existing LogiZone AWS landing zone with AWS Backup Automated Restore Testing on a weekly cadence, SNS notifications on success or failure, and Backup Compliance tracking for audit purposes. The customer can now demonstrate recoverability, not just backup execution.
Customer Overview
Sector: Education Technology (EdTech)
Location: United Kingdom
The customer operates a school management platform handling sensitive education data. Regular backups were already in place, but there was no mechanism to verify those backups could actually be restored. For data protection compliance in the education sector, that is a critical gap.
The Challenge
Untested backups are confidence theatre. The customer knew this and wanted it fixed:
- Untested backups. Backups were running but had never been validated through actual restore tests.
- Compliance gap. Education sector data protection requirements demand demonstrable backup recovery capability, not just backup activity.
- Manual process. Any restore testing would have required engineering time on a recurring basis. That would never happen reliably.
- No alerting. No mechanism in place to tell the team if backup or restore operations failed.
- No audit trail. No compliance reporting showing backup restore history.
The Solution
Logicata extended the existing AWS landing zone to add automated restore testing as a self-running capability:
- AWS Backup Automated Restore Testing enabled. Resources selected via tag within the RDS service, so adding a new database means adding the tag, not editing the test configuration.
- Most recent backup used. Each weekly restore test pulls the most recent available backup (including Point-in-Time Recovery backups), which is the relevant artefact for actual disaster recovery scenarios.
- Weekly execution. Automated test runs once a week without manual intervention.
- SNS notifications on both success and failure, so the team finds out about a problem immediately, not at the next quarterly review.
- Backup Compliance updated to track restore jobs alongside backup jobs, providing a complete audit trail.
- Operational handover documentation so the customer’s team can manage the solution independently.
Why automated restore testing matters more than backup verification
A backup that runs cleanly and produces a snapshot is not the same as a backup that can be restored. Underlying corruption, IAM regressions, encryption key rotation, restore-target capacity, and a dozen other failure modes all sit between “backup completed” and “service restored”. Automated restore testing closes that gap continuously, not just when someone remembers to check.
Results
- Weekly automated restore testing validates backup recoverability without manual intervention
- SNS notifications ensure immediate awareness of any backup or restore failures
- Compliance tracking provides the audit trail education sector data protection requires
- Zero ongoing operational overhead once the initial configuration was in place
- Confidence that RDS backups can be restored when needed, not just that they exist
AWS Services Used
- AWS Backup (Automated Restore Testing)
- Amazon RDS
- Amazon SNS
- AWS Backup Audit Manager
About Logicata
Logicata is an AWS Advanced Partner holding the AWS Cloud Operations Management Competency, validated through an independent third-party audit. Logicata helps organisations build and operate secure, well-governed cloud platforms on AWS, enabling customers to reduce operational risk, meet assurance expectations, and scale with confidence.
