# BSI C5:2020 OPS-06 — Data Protection and Recovery - Concept

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ops-06-data-protection-and-recovery-concept
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [BSI C5:2020 (Cloud Computing Compliance Criteria)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020) › Operations Security (OPS)
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**BSI C5:2020**·Criterion `OPS-06`·critical·Component: **Operations Security**

## What this control requires

> Documents data backup and recovery policies per SP-01, aligning with customer agreements and RTO/RPO requirements. Specifies encrypted backups, authorized access, and recovery testing to ensure data availability and integrity for cloud customers.
> 
> — BSI C5:2020, Criterion OPS-06

### In plain English

Documents data backup and recovery policies per SP-01, aligning with customer agreements and RTO/RPO requirements. In practice, this means you can prove you risk agreements-level controls on a defined cadence.

## Why it matters

BSI C5 is the default cloud-security baseline German public-sector buyers and many DAX-listed enterprises expect; gaps here directly block procurement in the DACH region and frequently appear as must-have items in EU public-tender documents.

This control is rated **critical** in the source catalogue. Treat gaps here as production incidents in the risk register, not housekeeping.

## What an auditor looks for

A C5 attesting auditor (under ISAE 3000 / IDW PS 860) tests both the design and — for a Type 2 — the operating effectiveness over the attestation period. For each criterion they look for both the Basic and any in-scope Additional objectives.

Within **Operations Security**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Criterion OPS-06) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.

## How to implement

#### Cloud Posture

**CSPM.** Run Wiz / Prisma / Defender for Cloud / Security Command Center over every account; auto-ticket findings above your accepted-risk threshold.

#### Code Review Testing

**Pipeline.** Require at least one human reviewer plus passing CI (lint, type, unit, security scan) before merge — protected branches enforce this.

#### Policy Management

**Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA.

### Operational checklist

-   **Risk.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Review.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Protection.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Data.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** agreements, protection, - concept, business continuity, management.

## Evidence to collect

-   **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document.
-   **Infra Scan.** Continuous infrastructure-posture telemetry — AWS Config, Azure Policy compliance, GCP Organisation Policy, Wiz / Prisma findings.

Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Data Protection and Recovery - Concept.

## Common pitfalls

-   Treating CSPM findings as a backlog instead of a hot queue: findings older than the policy SLA accumulate until the auditor asks why.
-   Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced.

## How it maps to other frameworks

Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit.

-   [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) A1.3** — Testing of System Recovery Procedures](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/a1-3-testing-of-system-recovery-procedures)
-   [**NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CP-9(1)** — Testing For Reliability And Integrity](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-9-1-testing-for-reliability-and-integrity)
-   [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.8.33** — Test information](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-8-33-test-information)
-   [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.13.15** — Session Authenticity](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-13-15-session-authenticity)

## Related controls in BSI C5:2020

-   [**Criterion OPS-08** — Data Backup and Recovery - Regular Testing](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ops-08-data-backup-and-recovery-regular-testing)
-   [**Criterion BCM-03** — Planning business continuity](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/bcm-03-planning-business-continuity)
-   [**Criterion OPS-07** — Data Backup and Recovery - Monitoring](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ops-07-data-backup-and-recovery-monitoring)
-   [**Criterion BCM-04** — Verification, updating and testing of the business continuity](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/bcm-04-verification-updating-and-testing-of-the-business-continuity)
-   [**Criterion OPS-22** — Testing and Documentation of known Vulnerabilities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ops-22-testing-and-documentation-of-known-vulnerabilities)
-   [**Criterion OPS-09** — Data Backup and Recovery - Storage](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ops-09-data-backup-and-recovery-storage)

## References

-   [Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) — BSI C5:2020](https://www.bsi.bund.de/EN/Topics/CloudComputing/Compliance_Criteria_Catalogue/Compliance_Criteria_Catalogue_node.html)
-   Catalogue identifier: `Criterion OPS-06`

Topics: governance riskdata protectionbusiness continuitybackup recoverycloud posturecode review testingpolicy management

## Related compliance guidance

- [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.
