SOC2 for Builders, Part 5: Incident Response, Backups, and Restore Proof
Backups you have never restored are just hope. The goal of this final post is simple: make incident response and restore proof boring and repeatable.
SOC2 for Builders series
- Part 1: Treat It Like a Product Requirement
- Part 2: Data Classification and Logging Hygiene
- Part 3: Access Control and Least Privilege by Default
- Part 4: Change Control, CI, and Deploy Evidence
- Part 5: Incident Response, Backups, and Restore Proof (this post)
Keep the incident roles simple
When an incident hits, clarity beats cleverness. We keep the roles obvious:
- Incident lead makes decisions.
- Comms lead publishes updates.
- Scribe captures the timeline.
That’s enough to keep the team focused.
Runbooks should be short and executable
A runbook that reads like a textbook won’t be used during an incident. We keep runbooks short, focused on safe actions, and aligned to the current system.
Restore proof is the key evidence
Auditors want proof that backups work. The easiest proof is a restore drill on a regular cadence. The proof is the drill log, not a statement in a policy.
What we keep from each drill:
- Date and scope of the restore test.
- Who ran it and who signed off.
- Outcome, with any follow-ups.
We also record the target RTO/RPO and whether we met it.
Keep backups visible
If backups are invisible, they will be forgotten. We keep a simple dashboard or runbook entry that shows where backups live and how to trigger a restore.
Wrap-up
If you can show that you can restore, you have answered the hardest SOC2 question in this area. Prevention matters, but recovery proof is what makes the story credible.
Related reading
- SOC2 for Builders, Part 4: Change Control, CI, and Deploy Evidence
- SOC2 for Builders, Part 3: Access Control and Least Privilege by Default