III. Benefits of cloud computing disaster recovery
Flexibility: Organizations are not dependent on any particular type of architecture, so they have the option of meeting their needs no matter what stage of cloud computing they are in.
Cost: Cloud computing disaster recovery services are less costly than physical replication environments. This fact allows small and medium-sized organizations to take advantage of disaster recovery options that they could not previously afford.
Faster recovery time: Backup from the cloud is faster than backup from tape. Hosting the two sites or storing the data in the same cloud platform as the cloud computing disaster recovery service provides additional time benefits. The virtualization features of cloud computing are also superior to physical servers. For example, if the virtualization server fails, you can start another virtual server in a matter of minutes. The virtualization server is technology-independent, so different applications, operating systems, data, and fixes can be stored on it, so all of these will be automatically restored using the virtual server. In a non-virtualized environment, each element must be restored separately.
Elasticity: The general advantages of cloud computing apply to cloud computing disaster recovery. As the data grows and the environment becomes more complex, scalability is not an issue.
Compliance: Faster recovery times help avoid penalties for missing deadlines
IV. Risk of cloud disaster recovery
Security: The biggest issue is the multi-tenant nature of the cloud environment hosting the backup environment or data.
Recovery: It may take longer if there is no comprehensive planning. You should consider the connection bandwidth between the asset priority, the service level agreement (SLA) and the original environment and the backup environment.
Data control: Data can easily enter cloud computing environments, but may not be easy. Please read the terms of use and pay attention to the details.
Interrupt: Cloud computing environment is not perfect. It’s wise to view this risk as part of an overall disaster recovery strategy.
Cloud disaster recovery service
Cloud computing providers and managed service providers (MSP) can provide cloud computing disaster recovery services. Both provide cloud computing services, but the difference between them is that managed service providers (MSP) provide higher-level IT support. In both cases, it is important to ensure that service level agreements (SLA) are driven by enterprise priorities, recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO).
V. The following are seven recommendations for revising best practices in cloud computing disaster recovery plans:
(1) Backup and replication systems and data on a regular basis
Michael Flavin, sales director of Saalex IT, a network infrastructure provider, said: “At present, many companies do not take into account the enormous risks of cloud computing.One way an enterprise can protect itself from cloud interruptions is by making a secure backup of its systems and data so that a failover can be implemented. This can be done by periodically copying data to the second backup data center. “
(2) Understanding the sequence of restore systems during downtime
In the old datacenter era, it was necessary to determine which systems had to be restored first during downtime, and which were relatively simple to recover later. The more easily identified reason is that all of these systems are under the direct control of the enterprise itself.
This is not the case with hybrid computing, where applications and data can be moved from one cloud platform to another, or between cloud platforms and internally deployed data centers. Sixty-nine percent of business leaders believe that communication between organizations can help them achieve their vision.
Understanding the recovery sequence and the running and storage locations of different systems and data groups is critical to the enterprise. This is because in some cases another cloud platform or data center may be needed to complete system transactions. For even if one of these resources is not available, disaster recovery for the enterprise is at risk. This will become more complex as applications and data are modified, as many organizations cannot retest new changes with the added risk. As a result, disaster recovery is no longer effective.
(3) Periodic Testing of Disaster Recovery Plans
Even if enterprise systems and data remain relatively constant, there is always a risk that the infrastructure and platform provided to users by cloud computing vendors may introduce new changes that will affect the performance of users’ own systems and data. The only way to prevent this from happening is to test the disaster recovery plan annually with a cloud computing vendor to ensure that the recovery is actually effective.
(4) Define disaster recovery objectives
The development and growth of more Disaster Recovery as Service (DRaaS) companies has been driven by the introduction of continuous replication technology and by the specialization of disaster recovery, For companies that plan disaster recovery for their hybrid computing environment, more help is available. However, none of this help would be very effective without defining a disaster recovery goal.
(5) Management of Supplier Relations
Large enterprises with full-time contract managers, tracking vendors or spending time maintaining good relationships with suppliers can help in disaster recovery planning and implementation.
“One of the things we do with cloud computing service providers is communicating with them every year. Regular discussions will also be held with them to identify common strategies and discuss and resolve problems. ” Benjamin Baghdadi, chief technology officer at Island Pacific, a retail-based company, said, “This has indeed helped us establish a close partnership with cloud computing providers. We know they will respond quickly in the event of disaster. “
(6) SaaS vendors who choose to own and operate their own data centres
When a user collaborates with a cloud computing vendor to obtain a SaaS solution, the key point of a Proposal Invitation (RFP) should be whether they own and operate their own cloud computing data centers. SaaS operators that own and operate cloud platforms running their solutions are a better option in disaster recovery scenarios, because they should take full responsibility for failure if the service breaks down.
(7) Risk management
The final element of adjusting the disaster recovery plan for the hybrid cloud environment is risk management.
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