ISO 27001 Certified · MSP Awards 2025
When your insurance asks how fast you can recover - you need a real answer
Hardware-free BCDR for North East SMEs. 15-minute recovery points. Sub-1-hour recovery time. Chain-free backup with AirGap ransomware protection. No appliances. No guesswork.
Or call 01325 369 950 | Darlington, North East | Since 1998
★
MSP Awards 2025
Best Use of AI
ISO
ISO 27001
Certified
9001
ISO 9001
Certified
CE
Cyber Essentials
Certified
501
MSP 501
Channel Futures
26+
Since 1998
Darlington, North East
The situations that bring businesses to us
Most North East SMEs find out their backup plan has gaps at the worst possible moment
It is rarely a calm, planned review. It is usually a question from a client, an insurer, or a regulator that reveals how much has been assumed and how little has been tested.
£10k
minimum per hour for small businesses when continuity breaks down
58%
of data backups fail — most businesses discover this only when recovering
21 days
average time to recover from a cyber attack without a proper BCDR plan
Insurance renewal
Your cyber insurer is asking for your RTO and RPO
The renewal form wants evidence of tested backups, documented recovery times, and ransomware-protected storage. Your IT provider cannot give you a clear answer. The renewal is in six weeks.
Ransomware exposure
A backup was found in the same location as your encrypted live data
Your backups survived — but you have no way to confirm they are clean, whether the chain is intact, or how long a full recovery would actually take.
Contract pressure
A client questionnaire is asking for your business continuity plan
A supplier assurance questionnaire from your largest client asks for a documented BCDR plan, your recovery point, and whether backups have been tested in the last 90 days.
Recovery failure
A restore attempt revealed the backup chain was broken
Months of backups appear in the console — but when you tried to recover data from three months ago, the chain was broken. You do not know how long this has been the case.
Understanding the solution
Hardware-free BCDR - and why chain-free matters
Most backup solutions are built on chain-based technology, every backup is linked to the previous one. A single broken link can invalidate months of data. Our solution eliminates that risk entirely.
Plain English definition
Chain-free backup
Each backup is completely independent. If malware or corruption affects one backup, bad data blocks are isolated and deleted without touching any other backup in the set. Previous backups remain fully recoverable. New incremental backups continue. No reseeding. No storage bloat. No chain to break.
Recovery
15-minute RPO
Backups run as often as every 15 minutes, meaning you lose no more than 15 minutes of work even in a worst-case incident.
Recovery
Sub-1-hour RTO
Local virtualisation in seconds. Cloud virtualisation in minutes. Your business is running again in under an hour — not days.
Ransomware
AirGap protection
AirGap separates deletion requests from deletion mechanics. Even if ransomware encrypts your live systems, backup data cannot be reached.
Verification
AutoVerify
After every backup, AutoVerify automatically virtualises and runs corruption tests. You know every backup is recoverable — without manual checks.
Speed
Local Cache
An optional encrypted local datastore on USB or NAS accelerates file recovery and bare-metal restores. Cloud speed with local performance — no expensive appliance.
Deployment
Silent installation
Deploy the agent via your RMM with no on-site visits, server reboots, or product deactivation. Runs in parallel with existing backup during transition.
Why it matters
Chain-based backup vs chain-free backup
Most backup solutions still use chain-based architecture — the technology has just been re-labelled. The risks remain the same.
40% of ransomware attacks require more than 8 hours to address — typically at a cost of $100 to $250 per hour. A chain-free backup with AirGap protection means you can recover in under an hour and never pay a ransom.
| Problem | Chain-based backup | Chain-free backup |
|---|---|---|
| Backup corruption | Breaks the chain - all subsequent backups invalid | Bad blocks isolated — all other backups unaffected |
| Ransomware attack | Backup may be encrypted if stored connected to live systems | AirGap prevents deletion - backup data unreachable |
| Recovery time | Must consolidate chain to target point first - slow and resource-heavy | Near-instant — no consolidation required |
| Compliance retention | Maximum 12–24 months before reseeding required | Long-term retention with no reseeding overhead |
| Storage footprint | Consolidation doubles storage during retention period | Efficient deduplicated storage — no bloat |
| Backup verification | Manual checks that may not detect chain failures | AutoVerify tests every backup automatically |
| Insurance evidence | Difficult to evidence RPO, RTO, and test results | Documented RPO of 15 min, RTO under 1 hour |
Start here
Not sure if your current backup would actually survive a ransomware attack?
Most businesses we speak to have never tested a full recovery under pressure. A free 30-minute assessment tells you exactly where you stand, before an incident forces the question.
What we protect
Everything your business runs on , protected without hardware
From endpoints to servers to public cloud VMs, hardware-free BCDR covers your entire infrastructure — including hybrid and remote workers.
Endpoints
Remote and hybrid workers
Automatic backup from any internet source, as often as every 15 minutes. Remote workers are protected without appliances or VPN dependency.
Servers
Windows, VMware, Hyper-V
Full server backup to cloud with local virtualisation in seconds. RTO under one hour for any server environment. Very low CPU overhead — only 0.2GB/TB RAM.
Cloud
Azure, GCS, IaaS
Backup public cloud VMs in Azure and Google Cloud Services. Bring your own cloud — public or private — for long-term retention and data replication.
What to expect from engagement
01
Assessment of your current backup and recovery position
We review your existing setup, test your recovery assumptions, and identify gaps against what your insurer, clients, and regulators are asking for. Written report provided.
02
Custom design of your hardware-free solution
RPO and RTO commitments matched to your business needs. Platform coverage confirmed. Local Cache decision made. Deployment plan scoped without disruption to live systems.
03
Silent deployment - no on-site visits
The agent deploys without server reboots or product deactivation. Runs in parallel with your existing backup solution during transition. First backup captured within hours.
04
Ongoing monitoring, AutoVerify testing, and monthly reporting
Every backup is automatically verified. Monthly reports give you and your board the evidence needed for insurance renewals, client questionnaires, and audit requests.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions about BCDR
What is a Recovery Point Objective and Recovery Time Objective? +
Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the maximum amount of data your business can afford to lose, measured in time. Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum time your business can be offline before the impact becomes unacceptable. Our BCDR delivers an RPO of 15 minutes and an RTO of under 1 hour — the two numbers your insurer is most likely to ask for at renewal.
What is chain-free backup and why does it matter? +
Traditional chain-based backup links each backup to the previous one. If any link is corrupted — by ransomware, a failed backup, or a storage issue — all subsequent backups become invalid. Chain-free backup eliminates this dependency. Each backup is independent, bad data blocks are isolated without affecting other backups, and recovery is near-instant with no reseeding required.
What is AirGap and how does it protect against ransomware? +
AirGap separates data deletion requests from the mechanics of deletion. Even if ransomware encrypts your live systems and attempts to destroy backup data, the deletion command cannot be executed against your backup storage. Your backup remains intact and recoverable even after a successful ransomware attack.
Do I need on-site hardware for this BCDR solution? +
No. Hardware-free BCDR eliminates the need for expensive on-site appliances. Backups go directly to the cloud. Optional Local Cache — a low-cost encrypted USB or NAS device — accelerates local file recovery and bare-metal restores without on-site hardware costs. The agent deploys silently via your RMM with no on-site visits required.
What platforms does the backup solution support? +
The solution supports Windows servers and workstations, VMware, Hyper-V, and IaaS environments including Azure and Google Cloud Services. Remote and hybrid endpoints are protected from any internet source as often as every 15 minutes.
Can Bondgate IT help with cyber insurance readiness for backup and disaster recovery? +
Yes. Cyber insurers are increasingly asking for evidence of tested backups, documented RPO and RTO commitments, ransomware-protected backup storage, and MFA on backup management systems. Bondgate IT reviews your current backup posture, closes gaps before your renewal deadline, and provides the written evidence documentation that insurers require. Start with a free 30-minute assessment.
Ready when you are
Can you answer your insurer's backup questions with confidence?
If the answer is “I’ll need to ask IT” — that is the gap we fix. Bondgate IT supports North East businesses with hardware-free BCDR that delivers real RPO and RTO evidence. Based in Darlington, supporting organisations across the North East and UK since 1998.
ISO 27001 certified · Cyber Essentials certified · MSP Awards 2025 — Best Use of AI · MSP 501 · Darlington, 01325 369 950