What Disaster Planning Assists With

As we mentioned earlier, there are countless threats that can cause these network and system disruptions. You may think that because one sort of threat isn’t a risk for you that you don’t need to take time to have a plan, but this is not good logic. Every single business has risks and incidents that can cause downtime and lost revenue. We’ll talk about some of the events that lead to this below.

• Natural Disasters: When floods, fires, tornadoes, and earthquakes happen, it can lead to system failure and data loss. Even a minor malfunction can destroy important data that you will never get back. This is why it’s a huge risk to have your data only in one place. If it is somehow compromised or destroyed, you have nothing to lean back on.
• Network Issues: Mistakes happen. That means your fiber optic cable could get cut or your network could fail or your local area network could be disabled. Each of these things constitutes a huge problem until a resolution is found. If you have a business that needs constant connectivity, you need to be sure network availability is at the top of your priority list.
• Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity threats seem to be around every corner. It’s something that no organization can ignore, no matter how small or how large they are. Things like Ransomware and similar threats are on the rise and can cause huge problems for businesses who aren’t prepared. Having your data backed up on a regular basis is an important to step in avoiding these attacks, which can bring down your entire business plan if a breach occurs.
• Human Error: Anyone at your business is a point of vulnerability when it comes to outages. A vendor or employee might do something by accident that causes a major problem. This could be because of a mistake or even on purpose if someone has a bone to pick with you. You need to be ready for it, just in case it does happen.

• These examples represent just a fraction of the potential threats that can lead to lost time and revenue. Disasters are unpredictable, but what you can do is prepare for them in advance to minimise their impact when they occur.

  Factors to Consider

  Understanding the fundamentals of disaster recovery is crucial for protecting your business. Two key concepts that frequently arise are Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO). These terms define policies that form a disaster recovery plan, ensuring that your business can recover and return to normal operations after a disaster.

  Recovery Point Objective (RPO)

  When discussing RPO, it refers to the specific point in time to which you aim to restore your data from backup storage. This metric indicates the amount of data loss you can tolerate when operations need to resume following a network or system failure. RPO can be expressed in days, hours, or minutes, essentially representing how much work you are willing to lose if your technology infrastructure fails. It also highlights the frequency at which you need to perform backups.

  Recovery Time Objective (RTO)

  RTO, on the other hand, defines the maximum allowable downtime for a system or network after a disaster occurs. For instance, you may have certain systems that are infrequently used and can remain offline for days without affecting daily operations. Conversely, other applications may need to be restored within hours or minutes to prevent loss of time and revenue. Identifying these metrics is vital, and finding a method to restore systems before conditions worsen is equally important.

  Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

  Another essential term to understand is Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), which encompasses the comprehensive costs associated with a product or system over its lifespan. This includes the initial purchase price as well as ongoing expenses. In the context of IT, TCO might encompass costs related to hardware and software acquisition, support and management, end-user expenses, communication, and the costs associated with training, downtime, and productivity loss. As you might expect, disasters can significantly increase TCO if not addressed promptly.

  Geographic Concerns

  Geographic diversity plays a crucial role in disaster recovery planning. It pertains to the distance between your primary and backup server locations. This factor is vital because you want to ensure that both sites are not vulnerable to the same disaster. While having a secondary site nearby might seem convenient, a significant storm or natural disaster could potentially impact both locations. Therefore, it is generally recommended that your secondary site is situated at least 50 to 100 miles away, depending on your business’s specific needs.

  Hosted Disaster Recovery Options

  When it comes to hosted disaster recovery solutions, there are two primary options: colocation and Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS). Other available alternatives are typically variations of these two, which we will explain below.

  Colocation

  Colocation can be described as renting space within a data center. Numerous colocation centers exist, each operating in its own unique manner. Generally, a colocation provider supplies data center infrastructure, including internet connectivity, power, cooling, and cabling. Your business will lease either hardware, rack space, or floor space within that facility. Compared to building your own data center, colocation is often a more cost-effective choice.

  Pros:

  • Savings from leasing instead of constructing a facility
  • Redundant power, speed, and security measures
  • Low latency if the data center is near your headquarters

  Cons:

  • Multi-year leases can become costly
  • Additional space may not always be available, and specific server hardware may be required
  • Continued reliance on a physical location
  • If situated close to headquarters, both centers could be affected by local disasters
  • Long-term leasing costs can accumulate
  • Infrastructure expenses may increase over time
  • Ongoing data center costs
  • Pricing models can vary significantly

  Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

  In contrast, DRaaS offers a cloud-based solution for disaster recovery. Your business can replicate virtual machines (or in some cases, physical servers) to the service provider, which allows for failover and operation of those virtual machines in the cloud when a disaster occurs.

  Pros:

  • Lower true cost of ownership
  • Shared infrastructure helps control costs
  • Minimal major capital investments required
  • Turnkey services available
  • Flexibility in protection levels
  • Greater scalability
  • Specialization improves service quality
  • Professional support is accessible
  • Pricing scales based on data center size

  Cons:

  • Some providers may overcommit their network resources
  • Geographic location relative to your corporate office can be a concern
  • Large-scale recoveries or failovers might temporarily increase expenses

Colocation.info’s Offerings

Colocation.info can assist you in finding the ideal provider to ensure that your next disaster recovery experience is as seamless as possible. Best of all, our service comes at no cost to your business. We focus on colocation, managed hosting, and dedicated servers, with our agents bringing over 15 years of expertise in colocation hosting and the IT sector. Additionally, most of our providers are recognized leaders in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant.

Furthermore, these providers offer exceptional solutions such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, both known for their extensive features and popularity. We’ll explore each of these below.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS was the pioneer in cloud computing and remains one of the most recognized names in the industry. Companies like Netflix and Airbnb utilize AWS EC2 to deliver a variety of services to users worldwide. AWS boasts over 70 services, including options for database management and mobile application scaling frameworks.

Pros:

• Established presence in the market compared to competitors
• Data centers grouped into regions in multiple locations
• A significant number of compliance certifications achieved
• Thousands of software vendors, including well-known names like Oracle, Adobe, and SAP

Cons:

• Steep learning curve, particularly for larger enterprises
• Complex billing structure
• Enterprise support requires Business tier, which incurs additional costs
• Most enterprise clients need custom agreements

Microsoft Azure

Although Microsoft Azure is relatively newer than AWS, it has been making significant strides. Microsoft continues to develop new services and offerings to compete with AWS. With strong partnerships with key companies and extensive experience in enterprise sales, Azure has introduced features like large-scale virtual machines and SQL Data Warehouse to enhance its offerings.

Pros:

• High availability and redundancy on a global scale
• Strong emphasis on security options
• Exceptional scalability for easy adjustments
• Pay-as-you-go pricing for straightforward budget management

Cons:

• Requires management and maintenance
• Expertise in the platform is essential
• Microsoft is not recognized as a trendsetter
• Long-term roadmap is not publicly available

As illustrated, both options offer numerous advantages. Ultimately, it comes down to assessing your company’s needs and conducting research to determine the best fit. Both AWS and Azure provide extensive options for disaster recovery, with security and backup being fundamental aspects of their core services.

Colocation.info Disaster Recovery Assistance

Colocation.info has built a reputation for connecting businesses with qualified disaster recovery providers across the globe. We focus on providers that offer the highest flexibility and reliable cost savings. There are many regional options that may be overlooked but provide services that exceed expectations. Both colocation servers and various cloud options are available, depending on your preferred solution.

At Colocation.info, we also provide a free, no-obligation consultation. Simply submit your list of requirements, and we will respond with a range of options to consider. We will always source direct quotes from the most affordable and qualified providers, alleviating one more concern for you. If you need assistance with disaster recovery, reach out to us and discover how we can help.