The two terms get used interchangeably, but a backup that has never been tested for recovery is not a disaster recovery plan — it’s a hope.

1. Backup answers “do we still have the data?”

A backup is a copy. On its own, it says nothing about how fast you could actually be back up and running.

2. Disaster recovery answers “how fast are we back?”

Recovery time and recovery point objectives turn a backup into an actual operational plan — one that needs to be rehearsed, not assumed.