cloudthinker-ai Backup Verification Test Skill
Verify backup recoverability for {{ system_name }} ({{ backup_type }}). Target RPO: {{ target_rpo }}, Target RTO: {{ target_rto }}.
Workflow
Phase 1 — Backup Inventory
BACKUP CATALOG
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[ ] System: {{ system_name }}
[ ] Backup type: {{ backup_type }}
[ ] Backup schedule: ___
[ ] Last successful backup: ___
[ ] Backup location(s):
- Primary: ___
- Secondary (cross-region): ___
[ ] Backup size: ___ GB
[ ] Encryption: [ ] At rest [ ] In transit
[ ] Backup retention: ___ days
[ ] Oldest available backup: ___
Phase 2 — Restore Environment Setup
ISOLATED RESTORE ENVIRONMENT
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[ ] Isolated restore environment provisioned
[ ] Network isolation confirmed (no production access)
[ ] Sufficient compute and storage allocated
[ ] Restore credentials and access configured
[ ] Restore start timestamp: ___
Phase 3 — Restore Execution
RESTORE TEST
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[ ] Backup retrieved from storage
[ ] Backup integrity check passed (checksum/signature)
[ ] Restore initiated — timestamp: ___
[ ] Restore progress:
- Data restored: ___ / ___ GB
- Estimated completion: ___
[ ] Restore completed — timestamp: ___
[ ] Actual restore time: ___ (target RTO: {{ target_rto }})
RTO ASSESSMENT
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Restore duration: ___
Target RTO: {{ target_rto }}
RTO met: [ ] YES [ ] NO
Phase 4 — Data Integrity Validation
INTEGRITY CHECKS
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[ ] Database/system starts successfully from backup
[ ] Row count comparison:
- Source: ___
- Restored: ___
- Delta: ___
[ ] Sample data verification (10 random records): [ ] PASS [ ] FAIL
[ ] Application can connect and query restored data
[ ] Referential integrity intact
[ ] No corruption errors in system logs
[ ] Point-in-time accuracy:
- Backup point-in-time: ___
- Expected RPO: {{ target_rpo }}
- Actual data age: ___
- RPO met: [ ] YES [ ] NO
Phase 5 — Cleanup and Reporting
CLEANUP
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[ ] Restore environment torn down
[ ] Sensitive data securely deleted
[ ] Test results documented
[ ] Next verification test scheduled: ___
GAP ANALYSIS
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[ ] RTO gap: ___ (actual vs target)
[ ] RPO gap: ___ (actual vs target)
[ ] Identified risks:
- ___
- ___
[ ] Remediation actions:
- ___
- ___
Counter-Rationalizations
| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "We can skip some steps for this case" | Adapt the workflow steps, don't skip them | Skipped steps are where incidents and oversights originate |
| "The user seems to already know what to do" | Complete all workflow phases with the user | The workflow catches blind spots that experience alone misses |
| "This is a minor case, full process is overkill" | Scale the process down, don't turn it off | Minor cases become major when unstructured; the process scales, not disappears |
| "I'll fill in the details later" | Complete each section before moving on | Deferred details are forgotten; real-time capture is more accurate |
| "The template output isn't necessary" | Always produce the structured output format | Structured output enables comparison, audit trails, and handoff to other teams |
Output Format
Produce a backup verification report with:
- Test summary (system, backup type, test date)
- RTO results (actual restore time vs target)
- RPO results (data freshness vs target)
- Data integrity (validation checks and results)
- Gap analysis (identified risks and remediation plan)