Organisations face a multitude of threats every day. From power outages, hardware and software failure, to data corruption and external security breaches, companies need to have a DR solution that can help them reduce downtime and recover business operations as soon as possible.
Businesses must have a disaster recovery (DR) solution in place, but building, managing and testing one requires knowledge, time and resources. If a DR solution is not implemented or tested correctly then it is likely to be ineffective during a real disaster situation.
In the last decade we have witnessed the rise of a new DR approach, in which companies don’t have to employ an in-house solution or have a replicated site. This new approach is known as Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS).
The use of DRaaS has grown exponentially and is proving to be an accessible, flexible and adaptable solution for many businesses.
But what is DRaaS exactly? DRaaS is a cloud computing solution that allows organisations to backup and replicate their applications and/or infrastructure to an entirely separate environment, giving them a failover ability that allows for business continuity in the event of a disaster.
“DRaaS is a highly beneficial solution for organisations who wish to protect their data and ensure its availability in the event of any planned or un-planned downtime.”
Gurdip Sohal, Sales Director, Covenco Recovery Services.
DRaaS has proven to be particularly beneficial for small-medium enterprises (SME) where there are limited resources and there is the need for an easy and accessible DR solution.
DRaaS benefits include, reduced costs, reduced downtime, access to an expert DR team, data protection and compliance.
There are several myths surrounding DRaaS which are important to clarify.
The first is that DRaaS is an expensive solution. Although DR providers use different pricing strategies, the cost of DRaaS is accessible and more affordable than maintaining an in-house solution or a replicated site.
Moreover, with an in-house solution, you'll inevitably have the inefficiency of storage you don't use. With a cloud-based, DRaaS solution, you only pay for what you use.
The second myth is that DRaaS solutions are all the same. There are a variety of DRaaS solutions which aim at satisfying different DR needs. Businesses can choose the solution which most suits them.
When selecting a DRaaS provider it important to be aware of key differentiators that make some providers stand out from others.
Network services is one of the top requirements. A good DRaaS provider must be able to offer a high-performance connection that can give access to the platform at anytime from anywhere.
Security excellence is also another important requirement. Data needs to be safe from external threats such as malware and ransomware. A data breach could damage a business both financially and reputationally.
Last but not least, a reputable service provider will give companies access to a specialist DR team who will assist them every step of the way – not just during the set-up process. DR it’s their ‘bread and butter’ and they can really make a difference in helping companies recover their operations during a real disaster.
To learn more about DRaaS please click here.