Disaster recovery service is the process of ensuring a business has an off-premise location that can take over for a primary data center when necessary. It involves replicating IT infrastructure in a third-party datacenter and then turning those duplicates on when the primary, production datacenter goes offline because of a natural disaster, equipment failure or cyber attack.
A DR plan also requires an identification of backup employees to handle specific duties in case of a disaster, a detailed inventory of IT hardware and software that is ranked for priority, and regular tests to ensure the DR plans are still effective. The goal of a disaster recovery plan is to reduce the impact an unplanned outage can have on productivity, the bottom line and customer experience.
When choosing a disaster recovery service provider, the two most important factors to consider are the recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO). These metrics indicate how long it will take for an IT system to be restored to a functional state after a catastrophic event or planned outage. Depending on the RTO and RPO needs of each business system, some DRaaS solutions will provide faster recovery times than others.
To maximize the benefits of a DR plan, it is essential to choose a service provider with a strong background in data recovery services and a deep understanding of IT infrastructures. They should also be able to tailor their solutions to meet the requirements of each business, including the ability to use multiple types of storage hardware and software. Moreover, a provider with a global network of high-performance data centers can help minimize latency, which can increase data recovery times.
The different types of DR services available include managed, assisted and self-service models. With managed DRaaS, the third-party vendor assumes all responsibility for planning and implementing your DR strategy while providing a cloud environment to store the data backups. This model is ideal for companies with limited resources or specialized applications that would be difficult to support on a self-service basis.
Assisted DRaaS offers all the same features as managed DRaaS, but allows you to manage your own backups in the cloud. It is typically more cost-effective than managed DRaaS because it doesn’t require like-for-like duplication of hardware between the primary and secondary datacenters.
With self-service DRaaS, you are in charge of every aspect of the planning and implementation process for your DR strategy. This is ideal for small businesses that lack the in-house expertise to implement their own DR plan, as well as for those who want more control over the process. The higher monthly costs of this DRaaS model can often pay for themselves through the reduced risk of downtime and increased business continuity. This is because you can recover from a major disaster or planned outage within hours rather than days, which can make the difference between surviving and failing.