What to Look Out For When Selecting a DRaaS Provider
If you’re searching for a disaster recovery solution and you’re concerned about lowering the cost of resources and employee time, making use of Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) could be a viable choice. Picking a DRaaS provider is a tough decision, though, as there are so many options in the market. When making your choice, consider what questions you can ask, as well as the actions you can take to ensure that you are choosing the DRaaS provider that is right for you.
Before exploring DRaaS, your organization should have a business impact analysis. In performing a current business impact analysis, you will be able to posit what would happen in the event of a disaster or disruption of business operations. With this information, you can determine what your most critical data is, which is a top priority for recovery. In addition to this, a comprehensive business impact analysis will define recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs). When picking which DRaaS provider is right for you, use this information to determine if providers can accommodate your needs.
After figuring out what your disaster recovery requirements are exactly, you can ask questions of providers in order to ascertain if they can support your needs. In the event that you were to experience data loss or corruption, learn the procedures of the providers in that situation by asking questions such as:
- How many copies of your backups are available?
- Where are those backups located?
- Is the provider able to recreate an image of your data at a specific, previous point from available backups?
- In calendar terms, how far back are backups accessible?
- What is the provider’s protocol when you perform a failover to DRaaS and are ready to go back to your standard environment afterward?
In addition to these questions, find out if the technological resources that will be designated to your infrastructure will be for your organization specifically. If the provider regularly houses data from other organizations or users, be cautious about using their services, as you won’t necessarily be their biggest priority.
Finally, ask for references from other DRaaS users in order to hear the experiences of people who have actually used the service you are looking into. They can give their opinions as well as anything they learned when working with certain providers. In addition to this, ask about the provider’s staff, as those will be the people handling your infrastructure.
Choosing a DRaaS provider doesn’t have to be intimidating. By beginning the process with a business impact analysis, you will know what you need, thereby narrowing your options. With this information, you can confidently make a decision as to which DRaaS provider works best for you and your organization.
Looking for more information on backup and disaster recovery solutions? Consider downloading our Backup and Disaster Recovery Buyer’s Guide! This free resource gives you the ability to compare the top 23 products available on the market with full page vendor profiles. The guide also offers five questions to ask yourself and five questions to ask your software provider before purchasing. It’s the best resource for anyone looking to find the right backup and disaster recovery solution for their organization. Additionally, consider consulting our Disaster Recovery as a Service Buyer’s Guide, as well as our new Data Protection Vendor Map, to assist you in selecting the right solution for your business.