That, to me, is a part of the process involved in the initial "back up" statement, and not really an additional step.
I always think of it as separate, for several reasons.
Once you make a backup, it is very easy to verify the integrity of that backup, usually just click on "Verify backup when complete" when starting. It adds about 20 minutes to the process. That isn't what I am referring to though..
The actual separate process I am referring to, is doing a real, live, restore using what you just backed up. And doing it on the same hardware you will need to recover to in the future.
That is a process you only need to do when you develop your backup/recovery plan or change hardware/software that is involved with the backup process. It is more to test the procedure, and not to test the data. It would simply be too time consuming to test an actual restore every time; nor is it necessary.
So, when I do a new system and network. I develop a plan, perform a test backup, verify the data, then restore it. All subsequent backups just get a verify.
For personal systems, like at home and general use laptops. I make two copies of the main hard disk. Image #1 gets sent over to a relative's house nearby, and it gets updated every few months, irregularly, but frequent enough. Image #2 is stored locally at home, in a Pelican box, in a tiny hole we dug into the foundation/concrete.
When crunch time comes, you know exactly what you have to work with. You have your materials, you have your data, you have done it before, you know it works. You're a frakking god-like hero when you're finished! :hail::thumbup:
