Choosing the right disaster recovery site is vital for keeping any business running through a crisis. Today’s world holds both man-made and natural threats to data security, so disaster recovery has become a hot topic in IT. A recent study found that more than 90 percent of businesses that experience a major data loss go bankrupt within a year. Your business’s survival depends on how well your data infrastructure can withstand a disaster with minimal downtime.
Effective disaster recovery is more than a one-size-fits-all list of backups. A true disaster recovery site must match the specific geographic region it serves, since hot, cold and warm sites each carry very different requirements. This article breaks down the key differences between all three so you can spot the right fit for your business.
Planning Your Disaster Recovery Site Strategy
Regardless of which disaster recovery site type you choose, analysis is the first step toward an effective plan. Each plan should look closely at backup frequency, how you’ll restore data and how much downtime your business can tolerate. Together, those answers form the blueprint for the disaster recovery planning your data and network systems actually need.
Analysis questions to ask before choosing a disaster recovery site include the following:
- How often is the data backed up automatically? Daily? Weekly? Every weekend?
- How much downtime can your business afford? And, what is the hourly cost of downtime for your company?
- What will be the cost of restoration of data and services?
- What do you need to restore services quickly?
- Which are the most vital services? Which take top priority in security and restoration?
Understanding Each of the Disaster Recovery Site Types
There are three basic types of disaster recovery sites. These are hot, cold and warm disaster recovery centers. Each comes with a unique set of advantages. Here is an overview of each type.
- “Hot” Disaster Recovery Sites. These sites let companies keep servers and a live backup site running in the event of a disaster — you choose a data center and essentially reproduce your entire production environment within it. This setup is a must for mission-critical sites. It allows immediate transfer of activity during a disaster and often means zero downtime.
- “Cold” Disaster Recovery Sites. The least complex of the three options, a cold site is essentially data center space, power and connectivity that stay ready until you need them. In the event of a disaster, the disaster center staff will help you move your equipment to the cold site and get it back up and running as quickly as possible.
- “Warm” Disaster Recovery Sites. This preventative site allows companies to pre-install and configure bandwidth needs. In the event of a disaster, all the company needs to do is load their software and data at the new site to get back in business.
Choosing the Disaster Recovery Site Best Suited for Your Needs
Your business’s future depends on choosing the best disaster recovery site for your IT needs. Call (305) 735-8098 to speak with a Volico data center representative to learn more about each of these sites and to review your IT needs. Our team will help you choose the best type of disaster recovery site for your business and get you started.
