3 Considerations If You Are Looking to Set or Improve Your Company's RPO or RTO

RPO and RTO are very hot topics in IT right now, and for good reason. Companies must have a recovery plan for their IT in the event of a disaster or major interruption in service. We have defined the basic concepts in a prior blog post. 

To summarize, the recovery point objective answers the question, “When was the last backup made?” The RPO focuses just on data and your company’s overall resilience to the loss of it. The recovery time objective answers the question, “When can my business be back up and running?” The RTO is usually large scale, evaluating your whole business and systems involved. A recovery time calculator can help to offer a high-level determination. But how recently has your business done a deep-dive into its systems for business continuity’s sake?

An increasingly mobile workforce means that a business literally covers more ground in a day than it ever has before. There are multiple dynamics for connectivity now: employees communicating with other employees through devices, employees communicating with devices, devices communicating with other devices. The Internet of things is a roving force that has its own potential for failure. Even then, the laptop and wifi may be working, but the data center that backs up the applications on the laptop might not be. Stronger connectivity overall requires an even stronger business continuity plan. As companies evolve, their business continuity strategies need to remain aware of their potential vulnerabilities.

2. Data Center Interconnectivity

Since many services and operations are backed up in data centers, some companies utilize multiple data centers in different locations to ensure more resiliency. Companies set up a variety of purposes for each data center -- some are used strictly for backup, some run only a few applications. Some exist to shoulder the operations in the event of a primary data center failure. Keeping the storage backup suited to your business’s needs, rather than adding undue complexity, helps to keep the RPO low.

To connect the data centers together, organizations typically use a data center interconnect (DCI). It can take a layered approach to do so. According to an article in Networking World, “Before creating a data center interconnect design, it’s important to understand the business requirements and business drivers and to get accurate numbers for the RTO and RPO.” The design should be created to meet the business requirements, with the aim of reducing RTO where possible.

3. Test, test, test

Can you risk untested backups? (Reports show 50% of tape backups fail). Can you rely on only one backup location? With so much at stake it is imperative to have a good understanding of the process and objectives of business continuity.

Regular testing of backup systems is recommended. Moreover, documenting the process should be done thoroughly (e.g. in the event of a change in personnel). It may sound overly simplistic, but regular testing and documentation can save companies from preventable power failures. Something as basic as replacing parts would not be overlooked if regular testing occurred. For example, data centers commonly use battery and/or generator power as a backup source when their primary power source fails. The problem is, batteries aren't replaced in a timely manner, generators aren't tested, and power failure tests are not performed. These preventable oversights may mean your backup is actually back down in a critical hour.

Making sure your backup and disaster recovery plan executes smoothly and efficiently is the key to ensure that the lights stay on, productivity remains high, and business continues to flow. 

Are your data backup solutions sufficient for the scope and criticality of your services? Learn more about scheduling a free IT assessment.