The Critical Need for Independent, Immutable Backup of BambooHR

What HR data loss really looks like when BambooHR records vanish without warning.

Imagine a scenario where crucial employee records or compliance documents stored in BambooHR suddenly become inaccessible - perhaps due to a mistaken deletion, a buggy integration, or even a malicious attack.

It’s a CIO’s nightmare and a very real risk.

Modern HR platforms like BambooHR guarantee uptime, but not full recoverability of your data. In other words, your BambooHR data may be available day-to-day, yet if something goes wrong, you have no quick way to get lost information back.

For lean IT teams without dedicated data protection staff, this gap can instantly turn a routine HR task into an operational crisis.

HR data is highly vulnerable without backup: data loss isn’t a hypothetical threat – it happens every day. Studies show over 70% of data loss incidents stem from human error. An HR administrator might accidentally delete an employee file or overwrite a salary record, and without an independent backup, that information is gone for good. Similarly, BambooHR is often integrated with payroll systems, identity management, and other apps; a glitch or bad sync in one of these integrations can wipe out or corrupt data at scale.

Cases have hit the public domain, where a script error or misconfigured API integration propagated mistakes across multiple systems, erasing or scrambling critical HR data in minutes.

The result? Employee profiles, time-off balances, or attachments could vanish before anyone notices.

Malicious and external threats are growing. Cyberattacks on cloud data are increasingly common and HR data is a ripe target.

In one well-known case, an IT contractor retained access to a company’s cloud storage after their term and accidentally deleted critical files at their next job. Even more alarming are deliberate attacks: for example, a breach in 2019 saw unauthorized access to BambooHR’s payroll module, potentially exposing personal and financial data.

If attackers can steal data, they can just as easily delete or ransom it. The Australian Cyber Security Centre warns that determined adversaries may “destroy all data (including backups) accessible to a compromised account".

Without an independent, immutable backup that attackers cannot alter or reach, organizations have no safety net.

Compliance and continuity risks compound the problem. HR systems contain sensitive employee records, contracts, tax files, and regulatory documents that companies are legally obliged to retain and protect. If a mishap means you can’t produce an employee’s record during an audit or litigation hold, your organization could face fines or legal penalties.

BambooHR itself advises maintaining a backup and recovery plan for emergency data-loss situations. Without an independent backup, you lose your system of record instantly when things go wrong.

The Hidden Gaps That Make BambooHR Backup Essential

Why BambooHR alone cannot restore deleted or corrupted data.

BambooHR is a powerful HR system, but when it comes to data recovery, it has significant architectural gaps. BambooHR does not support point-in-time restoration or rollback of your data. If an employee record was altered or deleted last week, there is no “undo” button. Even file attachments cannot be restored from within BambooHR.

BambooHR provides limited options for backup or recovery. It has basic logs and APIs for manual exports, but no automatic backups, no version history, and no built-in archive of historical changes. Its own documentation emphasises the need for organisations to back up employee data themselves.

If an admin deletes something (maliciously or by accident) or a sync cleans a field, BambooHR will faithfully replicate that deletion everywhere - and the data may be permanently gone. Multiple industry sources summarise this clearly: “BambooHR doesn’t offer backups or comprehensive recovery options".

How Keepit Safeguards BambooHR Data - Independent & Immutable

Keepit provides an independent, immutable vault for BambooHR data - completely isolated from BambooHR itself.

Keepit’s BambooHR backup fills these critical gaps by providing an independent, immutable backup stored in Keepit’s own private cloud infrastructure. This keeps your HR data protected from accidental deletions, sync disasters, and even compromised BambooHR accounts.

Together, these capabilities transform BambooHR from a single point of failure into a resilient, recoverable HR system. Keepit also protects Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Dynamics, Zendesk, DocuSign, and more - giving organisations a unified SaaS resilience layer.

Alignment with CPS 230, Essential Eight, SOCI, ISO 27001, and SaaS Obligations

Backup is no longer optional - it is now a compliance obligation under CPS 230, SOCI, E8, and ISO 27001.

A proper BambooHR backup strategy aligns directly with major regulatory and security frameworks:

Independent backup satisfies all of these requirements.

From Vulnerable to Resilient - A Call to Action

Your employees are the lifeblood of your organisation - and their data is irreplaceable. By implementing an independent, immutable backup for BambooHR, you protect the integrity of your HR function, maintain compliance, and avoid catastrophic data-loss scenarios.

This is your opportunity to eliminate the single biggest blind spot in BambooHR.

Move to resilience today.

Protect BambooHR with independent backup.