A Guide to DRaaS Simplifying Disaster Recovery as a Service

 In a highly connected world, businesses focus on
protecting their data from disasters. Businesses make a lot of efforts to avoid
such kinds of disasters, still, its chances can’t be ruled out. Natural
disaster, multiple disk failures and human errors could be the major culprits.
Here businesses look for Disaster Recovery as a Service so that their data centers
can be repurposed and reconfigured. Before proceeding further let us understand
what is Disaster Recovery as a Service DRaaS.

Meaning and Definition of Disaster Recovery as a
Service

The literal meaning of DRaaS is Disaster Recovery as a
Service. It is a practice where companies ask a service to back up its data and
IT infrastructure to a third-party cloud computing platform. In this way, the
businesses get back access to its IT infrastructure after it meets a disaster. 

Also Read –Managed IT Services Guide for Small and Medium Businesses

Benefits of DRaaS or Disaster Recovery as a Service

DRaaS or Disaster Recovery as a Service is highly
popular among businesses due to its various benefits. Here we some of the top
benefits.

Speedy Recovery

Businesses prefer DRaaS as it offers a speedy
recovery. Disaster Recovery as a Service uses data replication, automation and
orchestrated recovery to ensure restoration of your business in small time.

Reduced Cost

Most of the businesses want to reduce the cost of
operation and there is nothing wrong with it. They look for disaster recovery
service that can offer the services at a reasonable cost without compromising
on the quality. A DRaaS service is best suited for them.

Less Burden to Your IT

The benefits of DRaaS is not just limited to a speedy
recovery and reduced cost. But it goes a step further and frees up the time of
your Inhouse IT team. Making efforts for preventing disaster eats into the time
and resources of your IT team. With a dedicated DRaaS they can better focus on
other productive works.

No Need of Hardware

Contrary to traditional disaster recovery that demands
tapes, servers and hard disks a Disaster Recovery as a Service restores data in
its own data centers in a private server. You don’t have to pay extra as it is
part of the subscription fee.

Peace of Mind

One of the major benefits of DRaaS is peace of mind.
You don’t have to worry about your data as it is stored at multiple locations
and it can be restored in a time of disaster. Such services are quite
professional in their approach.

Once we have understood the benefits of Disaster
Recovery as a Service, let us know about the different types of Disaster
Recovery.

Types of Disaster Recovery

The disaster recovery needs of different organizations
are different and one size doesn’t fit all. Here we discuss with you top four
Disaster Recovery.

Data Centre Disaster Recovery

This disaster recovery plan encompasses everything
related to the data centre. This plan takes everything into account that
includes physical security, support, power backup, HVAC, utility services and
fire prevention arrangements. Keeping these things in order reduces the risk of
disaster, still, it doesn’t completely rule out the possibility of a disaster.

Cloud-Based Disaster Recovery

A Cloud-Based Disaster Recovery is relatively easy and
cost-effective. Here the data is stored on the cloud service providers cloud
environment so the recovery gets easy. You also get benefited from a price war
between several cloud disaster recovery services.

Virtualization Disaster Recovery

Virtualization Disaster Recovery is one of the easiest
forms of DRaaS where you don’t have to install physical servers. Instead, you
can use virtual servers to store data. it saves your time, space and resource.

There are several DRaaS options available to you and it
is up to you to select one as per your requirements.

3 Types of DRaaS Options

Self Service DRaaS

In Self Service DRaaS you will be provided tools to
look after your IT environment on your own. You will monitor the recovery of
your own environment and make sure that everything is working fine. In short,
your IT team is responsible for disaster recovery. This model is ideal for
companies where in-house expertise is available.

Assisted DRaaS

In this model, a DRaaS provider assists you in
implementing, testing and managing a solution. You will implement changes under
the guidance of your DRaaS provider. There are times when your IT team is not
available. In this scenario, your service provider may step in and do the
needful. This model is ideal for the organization where an IT team is available
but guidance is required.

Managed DRaaS

In this model, the DRaaS provider does all types of
things that include planning, testing and management. It takes all the
responsibility of your disaster recovery so that you can better focus on core
business activities. It requires a good investment but keeps you free from
burdens related to disaster recovery.

How to choose the Right DRaaS?

As you are all set to hire a DRaaS for your business,
you must be looking for ways to hire the right Disaster as a Service. Here we
give you tips to hire the right DRaaS for your business.

Understanding your Business

Every business is different and so are their
requirements. So, you should look for a DRaaS which has a proper understanding
of your business. If the service provider has rich domain experience of your
business it is an ideal situation. Ask if the service provider knows different
processes, applications and system of your business. Familiarity will help them
deliver the services well.

Location Matters

While hiring a DRaaS you should know about the
geographical diversity of your service provider. The service provider should be
located at a safe distance so that even if your business gets affected due to
disaster or manmade disturbance, they should be able to provide you support.

Do They Provide Multi-Homed Architecture

You should also check if your vendor provides
multi-homed redundancy. There are situations in which a single replica of your
IT infrastructure is not enough and you need multiple replicas to ensure
complete business continuity. As a business consist of several sites and system
a DRaaS need to unify them in a single cloud-based Disaster Recovery platform.
So, they must offer a multi-homed architecture.

Check If They Have Own Data Centers

Latency could be the major problem so a DRaaS provider
must have its own data centers with grid access. This is particularly important
for businesses where even a fraction of second counts. Check whether your
service provider has access to data center grids.

Do They Honor SLAs

A DRaaS must honor SLAs so that the matter doesn’t get
complicated. There are times when you have to move from one service provider to
another. You must document a set of rules so that changes if any can be dealt
more effectively.