Companies must always be ready to handle the unexpected when it comes to disasters. Many types of incidents can occur that leave businesses scrambling to restore operations in a timely fashion. In recent years, cloud computing has emerged as a viable option to host mission-critical data and applications while enabling employees to access these resources following a disruption.
The Whir's Bill Kleyman detailed the advantages of cloud computing for business continuity and disaster recovery. Organizations relying on on-site systems miss out on the functionality of using cloud computing. Some vendors offer nearly 100 percent uptime, as well as redundancies that ensure failures do not affect all corporate locations if certain systems go offline.
With assets stored in cloud environments, businesses can deliver data accessibility that again leaves older equipment behind. Kleyman wrote that cloud-based backups enable organizations to take advantage of more efficient recovery times, resiliency and flexibility. Cloud hosting vendors help customers decide what assets will be migrated off-site and where employees will access the closest servers in the event of a disruption.
When choosing a cloud service provider, companies should look for vendors that offer business impact analysis capabilities, which identify critical assets and help establish recovery time objectives, Kleyman explained. Vendors that do not include such offerings in their packages "may fall short of business expectations."
Global DRaaS market poised for greatness
It appears more organizations are realizing the advantages of hosting important assets in cloud-based environments for disaster recovery purposes. A TechNavio report indicated the worldwide Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service industry will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 52.1 percent between 2014 and 2019.
"Cloud computing has become a viable disaster preparedness solution."
Cloud computing is available in various models, including public, private and hybrid environments. For disaster recovery, hybrid solutions are gaining steam, as adopters can still manage assets on-site while transitioning other resources off-site. This approach is effective if cloud vendors experience disruptions of their own.
TechNavio noted companies are implementing hybrid clouds to improve traditional recovery systems and offer such capabilities to remote offices. Businesses leveraging DRaaS can also expect to safeguard virtual assets and physical applications, achieve faster recovery and reduce operating costs.
The types of business adopting DRaaS are also varied, according to Faisal Ghaus, vice president of TechNavio, who indicated both small to medium-sized businesses and large enterprises will continue to implement such services.
Don't make any rash decisions
Companies considering implementing cloud-based disaster recovery or any other type of system should not rush when making any decision. A lot of factors must be considered to select the most secure and efficient solution possible. SMBs could lack the resources of large enterprises, requiring outside assistance to make the most informed choices pertaining to their preparedness
Recovery specialists are perfect for organizations that want to maintain operational efficiency during the next disruption, whether they recover resources through physical data backups, cloud-based environments or a combination of the two. These service providers will analyze clients' infrastructure to make the best recommendations based on the personalized needs of each and every customer.