Your business' information has become more valuable and more sensitive than ever, easily qualifying as one of your company's most valuable assets. The catastrophic loss of your information can cause irreparable damage - as has been noted with the passage of hurricanes like Dorian and Harvey & Irma before him. The damage caused by these storms continues to be a strong reminder of why DRaaS and disaster recovery planning are such important parts of their disaster recovery plan.
That said, let's dive into everything you need to know about DRaaS, why it's important, and how you can get started using its services.
What Exactly is DRaaS?
DRaaS is the process of allowing a third party to handle the replication and storage of your business-critical information in the cloud. If disaster strikes and a catastrophe destroys your servers and any physical backups of your data, your third-party service provider will have your information and critical systems available. DRaaS is the ultimate failover plan for a company that can't afford to lose its data or be inoperable, for days, hours, or even a few minutes. Your DRaaS system can kick in automatically or can be turned on manually in the event your systems go down, providing little to no downtime. To decide what type of DRaaS is best for your organization, consider your RPO and RTO.
Why is DRaaS Important for My Business?
DRaaS provides a wide variety of benefits for any business. First, and most importantly, it solidifies your data protection plan. By using off-site cloud hosting, you ensure your data is safe from being wiped out while remaining easily accessible if your internal infrastructure becomes unavailable. With the help of backup cloud infrastructure, your operations can continue running even if your internal systems are down. Having DRaaS can also provide a competitive advantage. If competitors in your region are impacted by the same disaster and are out of service, their clients may be forced to seek an alternative - in this case, YOU.
One of the biggest myths about DRaaS is that it is expensive and unaffordable This is simply not true. In fact, DRaaS can dramatically reduce your organization's off-site disaster recovery infrastructure costs by eliminating the need for added physical spaces, servers, storage drives, staffing, and cooling. As an added benefit DRaaS solutions can also be customized to serve businesses across many verticles.an added benefit
This leads us to yet another benefit of DRaaS: Flexibility. As your company grows, you'll undoubtedly need to expand your IT infrastructure, adding new servers and increasing storage capacity. Thankfully, cloud storage is inherently scalable so the only thing you'll need to update is your service agreement with your service provider. Cloud computing can help your organization create a disaster recovery plan that scales with you. Using DRaaS allows your organization to maximize cloud computing while protecting your organization's assets and reputation.
How Can I Start Using DRaaS?
Getting started with DRaaS is as simple as finding a reputable, reliable service provider. Here are some key considerations when deciding to move towards DRaaS:
- What security measures does the service provider employ?
You need to ensure your data is safe and secure at all times. Make sure your DRaaS provider encrypts your information and consider the various authentication methods required to access your data. - What bandwidth is necessary?
Keep in mind that you'll need the bandwidth to upload your information to the cloud, and also to access it. Bandwidth will impact your pricing, ensure you choose a bandwidth that works for you and isn't just the 'cheapest'. - What's the restoration process?
If disaster strikes, you need to be up and running as soon as possible. Talk to your provider about how quickly they'll be able to restore your systems. Will your DRaaS solution kick in immediately or will it take a few minutes?
Are You Looking for a Disaster Recovery Service (DRaaS) Provider?
If you're thinking about using a DRaaS provider, consider Cloud Carib. Headquartered in Nassau, the Bahamas, Cloud Carib is a cutting-edge, cloud service provider that offers private and hybrid cloud options. Its disaster recovery, CaribDR, ensures your information is safe and secure, no matter the size, type, or scope of data. If you're looking for tailored disaster recovery from a reliable provider, contact us to speak to one of our representatives today.
