Skip to main content

NinjaOne Backup — Monthly Health Verification Checklist

Audience: T1 / T2 Cadence: Monthly — run this check for all active NinjaOne backup sites Use when: Performing proactive backup health audits, before closing out the MSP360 migration for a site, or during monthly maintenance rounds.

The Core Rule

A backup that has never been tested is not a backup — it's a hope. This checklist ensures every site's backup is actually working and recoverable, not just reporting "green" in the console.

Part 1 — Console Health Check (All Sites)

Run this in NinjaOne across all organizations with backup enabled:

  1. NinjaOne → Backup (global or per-org) → Overview
  2. Filter: Last Result = Failed or Warning
  3. Every device showing failed or warning gets a ticket if one isn't already open
Healthy standard per device:
✓ Last successful backup: within 24 hours
✓ Last result: Success
✓ Local (NAS) leg: Completed
✓ Cloud leg: Completed
✓ At least 7 daily revisions exist

Part 2 — NAS Space Audit

For each site with a NAS:

# Run from any device at the site or via NinjaOne terminal
$nasPath = "\\NAS-HOSTNAME\backups\ninjaone"
$folders = Get-ChildItem $nasPath -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$folders | ForEach-Object {
    $size = (Get-ChildItem $_.FullName -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum).Sum
    [PSCustomObject]@{
        Device   = $_.Name
        SizeGB   = [math]::Round($size/1GB,1)
        Modified = $_.LastWriteTime
    }
} | Sort-Object SizeGB -Descending | Format-Table -AutoSize

Flag: any device folder that hasn't been modified in the last 24 hours (backup may have stalled).

Also log into the NAS admin panel and verify free space is above 25% on the backup volume.

Part 3 — Retention Verification

Confirm old revisions are being trimmed automatically:

  1. NinjaOne → Organization → Backup → Storage Locations → verify retention settings match DTC standard (1 month, 14 daily)
  2. In the NAS File Station: check the backups/ninjaone folder — old device folders from decommissioned machines should be cleaned up quarterly

Part 4 — Recycle Bin Check

For each NAS:

Synology: Control Panel → Recycle Bin → check if the backup share's recycle bin has accumulated data — empty if present QNAP: File Station → Recycle Bin → check and empty

If the recycle bin keeps filling up: the DTC standard (recycle bin disabled on the backup share) wasn't applied. Fix it.

Part 5 — Test File Restore (Quarterly or Post-Migration)

At minimum once per quarter per site, and always after the initial MSP360→NinjaOne migration is complete:

  1. NinjaOne → device → Backup → Manage → select the most recent successful revision
  2. Browse to a non-critical file (e.g., a text file on the desktop or Documents)
  3. Click Restore → restore to an alternate location (not the original)
  4. Verify the file opens correctly
  5. Delete the test restore
  6. Document the test in the Halo ticket: date, device, revision tested, result

This is the only way to confirm the backup is actually usable.

Part 6 — Boot Verification Status

If boot verification is enabled in the backup plan:

  1. NinjaOne → device → Backup → check the boot verification column/icon
  2. Last boot test should have passed within the last 30 days
  3. If boot verification shows failed: investigate and resolve before considering the backup reliable

Monthly Checklist Summary

[ ] All sites reviewed in Backup Overview — no silent failures
[ ] NAS free space verified above 25% at all sites
[ ] Recycle bins checked and emptied where needed
[ ] No decommissioned device folders accumulating on NAS
[ ] Retention policy matches DTC standard at all sites
[ ] Test file restore completed for any newly migrated sites
[ ] Boot verification passing for all server devices
[ ] Any new failures have open Halo tickets
Back to top