How can you choose the right backup and recovery vendor?

1 Assess your backup and recovery goals

Before you start looking for a vendor, you need to define your backup and recovery goals clearly. What are the types, sizes, and locations of your data sources? How often do you need to back up your data and how fast do you need to recover it in case of a disaster? What are the regulatory and compliance requirements that affect your data? How much budget and resources do you have for backup and recovery? Answering these questions will help you narrow down your search and focus on the vendors that can meet your specific objectives.

2 Compare different backup and recovery solutions

Once you have your backup and recovery goals in mind, you can compare different solutions offered by various vendors. On-premises backup and recovery involves storing your data on physical devices in your own premises, giving you full control and security over your data, but also requiring more maintenance, space, and costs. Cloud backup and recovery involves storing your data on remote servers hosted by a cloud service provider, providing more scalability, flexibility, and accessibility to your data, but depending on the reliability, availability, and security of the cloud provider. Hybrid backup and recovery combines both on-premises and cloud backup and recovery methods, offering the best of both worlds with the ability to leverage the advantages of each method and balance the trade-offs. You should compare the features, benefits, and drawbacks of each solution to see how they align with your goals. Additionally, consider the compatibility, interoperability, and integration of the solutions with your existing data infrastructure and applications.

3 Evaluate the vendor's reputation and reliability

When selecting a backup and recovery vendor, it is important to consider their reputation and reliability. You should look for a vendor that has a proven track record of delivering high-quality services and providing excellent customer support. To assess the vendor's reliability, you can read customer reviews and testimonials, ask for references and case studies, or conduct a trial or proof of concept to test their backup and recovery capabilities. This will help you determine the vendor's speed, accuracy, efficiency, and functionality under different scenarios.

4 Negotiate the backup and recovery contract and SLA

The final step of choosing a backup and recovery vendor is to negotiate the backup and recovery contract and service level agreement (SLA). This should include the terms and conditions of the service, such as the scope, duration, frequency, cost, and quality. The contract and SLA should also define the roles and responsibilities of both parties, as well as the expectations and guarantees of the service. It's essential to review the contract and SLA carefully to make sure they are clear, fair, and comprehensive. Additionally, you should negotiate any changes or modifications that you want to make to the contract and SLA before signing them.

The key elements of the contract and SLA include backup and recovery objectives and metrics, processes and procedures, risks and contingencies, as well as communication and escalation. These should all be taken into account when making a decision about which vendor to choose. Ultimately, selecting the right backup and recovery vendor is an important decision that can have a major impact on your data management strategy. Following these steps can ensure you find a vendor that can provide you with an ideal backup and recovery solution for your data needs.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?