One thing is for sure: You can never count on your DR system performing 100 percent of the time if you test it 0 percent of the time. Further, given all the changes or missteps on a network, you must be able to test weekly: Even a tiny change to your IT system increases the odds that something might go wrong later on.

Ask yourself: Would you feel comfortable erasing your hard disk right now, and restoring it from your backups? If not, it’s time to commit to a new routine: “Always Be Testing.”