In the simplest terms, Disaster recovery is the undertaking whereby an organization invests in computing hardware and software to be used in the event that a disaster renders the primary processing site unavailable.
Not that long ago, people tolerated applications being down for hours or even days at a time (considering the circumstances, of course), but today even a fraction of an hour is considered inexcusable.
Traditional DR
Traditional approaches to DR are time consuming, expensive in terms of capital investment, and can take weeks to recovery data.
DR Today
Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) is a rapidly growing cloud‐based service that makes it easy for organizations to set up alternate processing sites for disaster recovery purposes.
Like other “as a service” offerings, advanced software enables DRaaS to simplify the entire process for organizations of any size as well as the service providers that offer this service.
DRaaS is important because it represents an innovative and less costly way to back up critical data and quickly recover critical systems after a disaster. DRaaS does this by leveraging cloud‐based resources that provide infrastructure that is far less expensive than on‐premise systems due to the ability to scale and share cloud resources
Secondary Site Rule is Still Valid
One of the time honored (and still valid) principles of disaster recovery planning states that a secondary computing location be established. The reasons for this include:
✓ The primary site may be incapacitated because of the effects of a regional disaster. This includes events such as an earthquake, hurricane, or flood.
✓ The primary site may be incapacitated by the effects of a localized event, such as a fire, landslide, power failure, communications outage, or a water main break.
✓ The primary site may have suffered an equipment failure in its IT infrastructure, or an operational error resulting in unexpected and perhaps prolonged downtime.
Using a cloud‐based hosting provider is a cost‐effective way to build a secondary site. The main advantage is the preservation of capital. Virtually no investment in recovery systems is required, since they are instead leased from the service provider if and when they are needed.
Cost Benefit
The low cost and simplicity of DRaaS makes it available to an entirely new class of organizations.
The ability to recover applications in the cloud, if and when needed, slashes the cost and complexity of recovery capabilities.
Organizations that were on the sidelines, longing for DR capabilities, can now enjoy capabilities that were once reserved for large organizations.
Selecting a DR Provider
Selection of a service provider is probably the most important decision you’ll make in your DRaaS project.
Your service provider should play the role of your trusted partner whose deep experience with DR planning and familiarity with a deep expertise in DRaaS means you’ll be sure to end up with a plan that has the best possible chance of keeping your business available when a disaster occurs — big or small.
Overall Benefits of DRaaS
Availability
Cost Reduction
Simplicity
Visibility
Scalability
Flexibility
Easier Testing
Compliance
Competitive Advantage
Disaster Survival
Bedrock Cloud Solutions partners with the leading cloud service providers to find the best customized solution for your business.
Veeam® leverages cloud technologies that enable the modern data center to help organizations save time, mitigate risks, and dramatically reduce capital and operational costs.
Source: DRaaS For Dummies (Veeam Software Special Edition)