7 Key Benefits of a Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy
A man-made or natural disaster can happen at any time, potentially putting your business in jeopardy. This is why it is imperative to ensure that your digital assets are backed up and safe so they can be recovered should a major event occur.
This is made easier by migrating to a cloud-based solution, allowing you to establish an effective cloud disaster recovery strategy. In this article, we will discuss the seven benefits of having a cloud disaster recovery strategy and the consequences of a lack of planning.
What is a Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy?
Cloud disaster recovery (CDR) is a cloud-based strategy that allows organizations to quickly recover their digital assets and restore systems following a disaster, whether man-made or natural. This managed solution provides remote access to all systems within the organization in a secured, virtual environment that minimizes or avoids any downtime.
Traditional disaster recovery strategies rely on secondary data centers to back up any assets and systems. This process can be time-consuming and expensive. Recovery times are also much slower when compared to a cloud solution.
With a cloud disaster recovery strategy, there is no need for any traditional infrastructure. The service can work seamlessly with your existing IT department to ensure rapid recovery at lower costs.
How Does CDR Work?
Cloud disaster recovery differs significantly from traditional disaster recovery methods.
Rather than using dedicated servers that are installed with an operating system (OS), software applications, and patches that match the last configuration used by the organization. A cloud solution stores the complete image of the server, including all software, data, patches, and the operating system. This is all stored in a single virtual server image.
Should a disaster occur, this virtual server image can be quickly accessed within a secure virtual environment. This allows users within the organization to access resources and software as they were before the disaster, with all data fully restored. This can be achieved in a matter of minutes.
Virtual server images do not require pre-installed hardware. Therefore, all data assets can be quickly transferred from a data center to the cloud environment much quicker than a traditional solution.
Who Needs A Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy?
Disaster recovery plans should work alongside an overall business continuity plan and should not entirely focus on IT-related issues. External factors can also cause major disruption and to overcome such issues, planning and coordinated processes are needed.
Due to the rise in cybercrime that targets organizations of all kinds, disaster recovery has become even more essential to protect your data and business operations. If you would like to learn more about how hacking works to help protect your organization, take a look at Guided Hacking’s Courses for a deeper understanding.
If you are unsure whether a cloud disaster recovery strategy is the right solution for your organization, then you need to ask yourself five important questions.
- Can you easily access your backed-up data?
- Can you quickly obtain and set up the required hardware should it fail?
- Will your users be able to easily access software and data once the system is back online?
- Once restored, will your systems be fully secured?
- Are all individuals within your IT department aware of the procedures should a disaster occur?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, then it could be time to consider a cloud DR solution to avoid the unnecessary downtime and inefficiency of a traditional solution.
Disruption to your business can come at a significant cost which is why you and your employees need to be back online as soon as possible. A cloud disaster recovery strategy can ensure operations can resume almost immediately should a disaster strike.
Let’s consider the seven key benefits of a cloud disaster recovery strategy.
7 Key Benefits Of A Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy
Back Up Your Entire Server
A cloud disaster recovery plan allows you to back up the entire server in one go. This means that everything on the server, including the OS, systems and applications are stored in a single block or bundle on a virtual server so they can be backed up easily.
A virtual server does not rely on the presence of the hardware and stored data can be quickly transferred to a chosen data center and recovered in a similar amount of time when required.
Cost Effective
Additional data centers can be expensive, not just for the rental of the physical location but also for its management and maintenance. This means you are effectively paying a lot of money for something that will only be needed in the event of a disaster.
Alternatively, a cloud solution uses a third-party data center which is significantly cheaper, making it a realistic option for businesses of all sizes.
Rapid Recovery Time
With the cloud, disaster recovery can be completed in just a few minutes, bringing critical systems back online so they can be used in a safe virtual environment. This process can also be automated with a range of tools, allowing you to prioritize which systems and software are recovered first to help speed up the process.
With traditional methods, the recovery process could take several days to bring everything back and, in some cases, recent data can be lost altogether. This is not an option for many organizations, as any data loss can come at a high cost.
Flexibility
A CDR solution also provides organizations with added flexibility, giving them the option to run applications directly off the cloud or restore important data and systems to any location they wish. This ability to pick and choose what systems to restore and when can help get your business operations back on track even quicker.
Zero Ties to a Physical Location
Having your backup server situated at the same physical location as your main servers can potentially spell trouble. This is because a disaster could potentially damage or compromise every server and piece of hardware within the building.
With a cloud disaster recovery solution, you can choose to have your backup facility located anywhere in the world, far away from your location, offering additional security. This is even more important for institutions that store personal data, such as medical institutions that need to protect patient information.
Easy Deployment
Cloud-based solutions, regardless of their purpose do not require significant investment and are very easy to deploy. This is because there is no need for any additional hardware, software or another physical location to store your backup data.
Just like a virtual private cloud can minimize day-to-day operational costs, a managed disaster recovery solution can help reduce those underlying business costs.
Simple and Efficient
The simplicity of a CDR means it can easily fit into your overall business continuity plan without causing any disruption to your operations. Workers can efficiently access applications and systems remotely with readily available support provided when needed.
Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategies – Conclusion
A cloud disaster recovery plan is advantageous to a traditional disaster recovery plan in practically every way. From simple deployment to lower costs, and faster recovery, it is a viable strategy for organizations of any size.
A cloud solution also offers additional security as the backup server can be located anywhere in the world, further protecting any sensitive data.
