IT Managed Backup; Incorporating the Principals of RPO and RTO
2022-09-12 13:00:31
Is your data securely backed up? Does your business have a disaster recovery plan, or does it need one?
Intending to ensure you never lose any data, we are here to help ensure you have the most up-to-date managed backup plan and the technology to guarantee its success.
People often assume that a disaster recovery plan is the same as a backup plan. And while they are related, they're not the same thing. A backup plan constitutes an essential part of your disaster recovery strategy.
This post will explain the difference between two essential but distinctly different IT functions: RTO and RPO. We'll also examine why it's necessary to understand them if you are to protect your business' data.
Everything you need to know about IT-managed backups and choosing the correct one for your business, you'll read right here.
We recommend you get comfortable, grab a pen and note anything that applies to your business!
Defining Managed Backups
Managed backups are a service by an authorised third party that automatically backs up your data at regular intervals. If anything should go wrong with your computer or there's an issue with your hard drive, all your files will remain safe and secure on an offsite server.
The third-party manages the backup, the backup media, and the offsite storage.
There are two types of managed backups: Online and Offline.
Online (Real Time)
Online backup services by cloud storage providers such as Dropbox or Google Drive allow you to back up your files online in real-time. Here, data will conveniently back up while remaining accessible to users as it does so.
This method also prevents data loss due to hardware failures or software problems which can result in corrupt files or lost user edits. Without IT administrator intervention, data lost in this way; cannot be recovered.
Another advantage of online services is that there's no setup required. One needs only to sign up and install the software, and back-ups will start immediately! It doesn't get much easier than that.
The cloud will do its job automatically and take care of everything for you, relieving you of the worry about whether somebody backed up your data or if there's enough room for it on your local hard drive.
Yet another benefit, and great convenience, is that you can access your files from anywhere and at any time, so long as you have an internet connection.
Offline (Cold) Backups
Offline backups usually occur by running a program on the computers within a business which copies data onto removable media such as hard drives.
If you wish to restore from an offline backup, you'll need to find the removable media and then use that to restore your data.
The most common use of offline backups is to create a copy of your database on a separate server or in an offsite location that allows quick recovery from a disaster without waiting for an online backup to restore.
The downside is that users will not be able to access or edit the data during backup periods. This failsafe is in place to prevent data corruption during backup periods when users may be entering or amending data.
A Backup vs a Disaster Recovery Plan
The difference between these two is simple. Backups are a copy of your data, and disaster recovery plans are in place for when an actual disaster occurs. In other words, backups are for business continuity, and disaster recovery plans are for disaster recovery.
Here's an example that should help make things clear:
You're running a small business with just two employees working in the same office all day, and thus you do not need any backup because you know that if anything goes wrong, they will always be there to fix it!
But, what happens if one of them falls ill or is injured? If that person isn't able to work, neither can your company. Where does this leave you?
Understand RTO
Recovery Time Objective is the time it takes to restore a system after a disaster has occurred. RTO is not the same as Recovery Point Objective (RPO). RTO measures how long it will take to get your business back online.
RTO = (Time offline + Recovery time (includes restoring backup and testing)) = Estimated downtime.
If your RTO equals 30mins, your systems can be down for a 30min period before your corporate business is affected.
Understand RPO
RPO is short for Recovery Point Objective, which measures how much data loss your business can suffer before it causes significant harm. Calculated and measured in days, we trace back RPO from your last successful backup.
The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the maximum acceptable time during which data loss can occur. If you have an RPO of 24 hours, you must be able to restore your data from within the last 24 hours for business to continue as usual.
Calculate Your RTO and RPO Values
To calculate RTO and RPO values, you'll need to consider three pieces of information:
- How much data loss can your business tolerate? This answer will help to determine how much data loss falls within your RPO value.
- How much time do you have to recover from failure? This amount will help determine how much downtime falls within your RTO value.
- What level of redundancy do you want in place before attempting recovery?
Backing It All Up
Managed backups, RPO, and RTO, work together to help keep your company going or to get it back up and running in the wake of a disaster. You can gain insight into how equipped your business is to handle a catastrophe by measuring RTO and RPO together.
Gather the notes you've made about what is relevant to your business and get in touch with us. Let's explore your needs and see how our managed backup services can offer the best solutions for your business.
