In 2024, a mid-sized logistics company in Mombasa lost three years of financial records to a ransomware attack. They had backups — but they were stored on the same server that was encrypted. It cost them four months of recovery time and significant revenue.
Backup failures in Africa often share the same root causes: backups stored only locally, inconsistent backup schedules, and backups that are never tested. Cloud backup solves most of these, but implementation matters.
The 3-2-1 rule adapted for Africa:
- 3 copies of your data
- 2 different media types (e.g., local SSD + cloud)
- 1 offsite copy (encrypted cloud storage)
- Test restores quarterly — a backup you haven't tested is not a backup
For ERPNext specifically, we recommend:
- Daily automated database dumps via ERPNext's built-in backup tool
- Upload to an encrypted S3-compatible bucket (AWS, Wasabi, or local providers)
- Retain 30-day rolling backups for databases, 90-day for file attachments
- Monitor backup job status via automated email alerts
Bandwidth is a real constraint in many African markets. We configure incremental backups that only transmit changes since the last snapshot — reducing data transfer by up to 85% compared to full daily backups.
Don't wait for disaster. A proper cloud backup strategy costs a fraction of what recovery costs — in money, time, and reputation.
Want this working in your business?
Our team implements ERPNext, KRA eTIMS and M-Pesa integrations for organisations across Kenya and East Africa.
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