A Blog by Richard May
Since virtualDCS started providing DR and backup services in 2008, the technologies have come a long way.
Gone are the days of selling on-site boxes for thousands of pounds in order to provide backup and DR solutions. DR as a Service is here, and capable of providing all the options you dreamt of but were just not affordable. Did you know that without buying any software you can get backup and DR for your servers from many providers for as little as 5p per GB?
I am now going to highlight a few things that have changed between 2008 and now.
Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the amount of data you can afford to lose in a Disaster. This was once a subject of great debate, prompting questions such as ‘Do you backup daily?’, ‘Can I have my data copied in real time to a separate location?’, ‘What data changes the most?’ and ‘How much can I afford to lose?’
Right now as standard, the amount of data you would lose really depends on how quickly your data changes and how much bandwidth you have to process those changes. Technology for both backup and replication now allows continuous copying of data. Changes are written to the backup location ASAP; when one is complete, the next begins. So no more daily backups are required, you can now have loads of recovery points on a file-by-file basis.
This means that if you get a Ransomware virus at 6 pm, you will no longer be losing all files from the day, you can simply recover to the point the virus hit. All this is achieved with a simple backup solution.
Backup is now like replication. So, what now is the difference with Disaster Recovery solutions? The answer to this is (RTO) Recovery Time Objective, the amount of time it will take to be operational after a disaster.
A backup means you need to restore your data somewhere, usually back to your site, and this will often mean recovery times are at least 24 hours for a major incident i.e. more than just a few files. A Disaster recovery solution puts you in control of your recovery – temporary machines are waiting to be started by you at any point, just by logging into a web page. This means that within minutes of a disaster, your solution and files can be available to you, to be accessed from anywhere in the world.
DR and backup is all about managing risk. Solutions like the above can now be implemented in minutes with little or no help. In fact, trying them is as simple as finding a new app for your phone.
The main things to think about are:
- Do I have a good Internet connection? It does not have to be as large as you might think.
- Would I be able to use my applications if I were not on the local network? Where there’s a will there’s a way.
- Do I really need workplace recovery? With the cloud, we can just work from anywhere.
- Do I need to continue paying thousands for my current solution or even a new one?
Name drop time… you can achieve the above for desktops or servers with products like Veeam Cloud Connect and Nimbox. These services are not only available to end users, but resellers can also sell affordable DR solutions to their customers.
If you’d like to speak to someone about protecting your data, contact us below.
