Unlocking the Power of Cloud DR: Ensuring Data Resilience

Cloud disaster recovery is a backup and recovery strategy that involves storing and maintaining critical data and applications in a cloud environment. This allows businesses to quickly and easily recover their data and systems in the event of a disaster, such as a cyber attack or natural disaster.

Backup as a Service (BaaS) protects the data and typically allows for the recovery of a file or server back to the customer's on-prem environment. Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) protects the business, and allows for recovery of the entire IT environment (servers, storage, networking, apps, data) in the cloud.

How Does Cloud Disaster Recovery Work?

Cloud disaster recovery works by replicating data and applications from a business's primary environment to a secondary environment in the cloud. This secondary environment is typically located in a different geographic region, providing an extra layer of protection in case of a regional disaster.

In the event of a disaster, businesses can access their data and applications from the cloud environment, ensuring minimal downtime and disruption to their operations.

Why is Cloud Disaster Recovery Important?

Protection Against Cyber Attacks

Cyber attacks are becoming increasingly common and can have devastating effects on businesses. In fact, according to a report by IBM, the average cost of a data breach in 2020 was $3.86 million.

With cloud disaster recovery, businesses can have peace of mind knowing that their critical data and applications are stored in a secure, off-site location. This means that even if their primary environment is compromised, they can still access their data and continue operations from the cloud environment.

Minimizes Downtime and Loss of Revenue

Downtime can be costly for businesses, especially if they rely heavily on technology to operate. According to a study by Gartner, the average cost of IT downtime is $5,600 per minute.

With cloud disaster recovery, businesses can minimize downtime and quickly recover their data and systems in the event of a disaster. This means they can resume operations and minimize the loss of revenue.

Cost-Effective Solution

Traditional disaster recovery solutions can be expensive, requiring businesses to invest in additional hardware and infrastructure. However, with cloud disaster recovery, businesses can save on these costs as they only pay for the resources they use.

Additionally, cloud disaster recovery eliminates the need for businesses to maintain and manage their disaster recovery infrastructure, saving them time and resources.

Scalability and Flexibility

Cloud disaster recovery offers businesses the flexibility to scale their resources up or down as needed. This means they can adjust their disaster recovery plan to meet their changing needs and budget.

Additionally, with cloud disaster recovery, businesses can easily test and update their disaster recovery plan without disrupting their operations. This ensures that their plan is always up-to-date and effective.

Real-World Examples of Cloud Disaster Recovery in Action

In 2019, they experienced a cyber attack that compromised their primary environment. However, thanks to their cloud disaster recovery plan, they were able to quickly recover their data and systems from the cloud environment, minimizing downtime and loss of revenue.

Healthcare organizations store sensitive patient data. They have implemented a cloud disaster recovery plan to ensure the security and availability of their data in case of a disaster.

In 2020, they experienced a natural disaster that caused damage to their primary environment.

However, thanks to their cloud disaster recovery plan, they were able to access their data and continue operations from the cloud environment, ensuring minimal disruption to their services.

How to Implement Cloud Disaster Recovery

Assess Your Business Needs

The first step in implementing a cloud disaster recovery plan is to assess your business needs. This includes identifying critical data and applications, determining recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs), and understanding your budget and resources.

CONVERSATION STARTERS - BACKUP & DISASTER RECOVERY

Common Questions to Ask...

What do you do for DR today?

• Single server failure? Whole data center failure?
• How frequently do you test your DR solution?
• Where do you struggle with DR today?
• What is the cost of downtime (per day, per hour) for your company? (Rough estimate: annual revenue divided by business days, divided by hours per day)

How do you back up your data today?

• Is there an offsite data protection strategy?
• If you could improve your backup strategy, what would you do?

Do you have any compliance requirements that affect your backup/DR strategies

Choose a Cloud Provider

Once you have assessed your business needs, the next step is to choose a cloud provider. It's important to choose a provider that offers reliable and secure services, as well as the ability to scale and customize your disaster recovery plan.

Leverage a Trusted Advisor like NetSharx who can help you navigate the cloud landscape, research and vet providers, and provide a detailed pricing comparison.

Develop a Disaster Recovery Plan

With the help of your chosen cloud provider, develop a disaster recovery plan that meets your business needs. This includes setting up replication and failover processes, establishing RTOs and RPOs, and testing and updating the plan regularly.

Train Your Team

It's important to train your team on the disaster recovery plan and ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities in case of a disaster. This includes regular training and testing to ensure everyone is prepared and the plan is effective.

Conclusion

In today's digital landscape, businesses must be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Cloud disaster recovery offers a cost-effective, scalable, and flexible solution for businesses to protect their critical data and applications in case of a disaster. By implementing a cloud disaster recovery plan, businesses can minimize downtime, protect against cyber attacks, and ensure the continuity of their operations.

If you’re a Technology Leader faced with finding the right backup and DR provider, NetSharx offers customers key advantages and agnostic engineering.

Navigating the cloud landscape doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With NetSharx as your Trusted Technology Partner, you’ll have the support, expertise, and flexibility you need to overcome these challenges.

Contact me at [email protected] or take our Backup & Disaster Recovery Assessment here and you will receive a FREE analysis.