Disaster Recovery: Step by Step Guide

1. Assess Your Risks and Requirements

The first step in creating a disaster recovery plan is to assess the potential risks and identify your business requirements. Consider factors such as: 

• Types of disasters (natural, cyber-attacks, hardware failures) 

• Critical business functions and data 

• Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) 

2. Develop a Comprehensive DR Strategy 

Based on your risk assessment, develop a comprehensive DR strategy that outlines the procedures and technologies needed to recover your IT infrastructure. Key components include: 

• Data backup solutions 

• Offsite storage 

• Communication plans 

• Roles and responsibilities 

3. Implement Reliable Backup Solutions 

For our clients with on-premises, datacentre, or edge workloads, we often recommend using Dell PowerEdge servers and Dell EMC storage solutions as the primary backup environment. Dell's robust hardware ensures high performance and reliability.  

In the on-premises, DC, and edge locations we will often propose VMware for server virtualisation, which allows for efficient resource management and scalability. However many of our clients have embraced the cloud and predominantly use Microsoft Azure for mission critical workloads.  

4. Utilise market leading Backup Software 

Regardless of workload location, Veeam Backup and Replication is our go-to solution for protecting mission critical systems. Veeam provides fast, flexible, and reliable backup and recovery of applications and data. Key features include: 

• Image-based Backups: Capture entire VM images, ensuring comprehensive data protection. 

• Instant VM Recovery: Quickly restore a VM from a backup, minimizing downtime. 

• Advanced Monitoring and Reporting: Provides detailed insights into backup performance and potential issues. 

• Replication: Create bootable copies of workloads onsite or in offsite locations for disaster recovery. 

5. Offsite Backup with Wasabi Cloud Storage 

To ensure data redundancy and protection against most disasters, we use Wasabi cloud storage as an offsite backup and disaster recovery repository. Wasabi offers: 

• High-speed Performance: Faster than traditional cloud storage solutions. 

• Cost-effective Storage: No egress or API request fees, making it a budget-friendly option. 

• Immutability for Ransomware Protection: Wasabi Object Lock ensures that data cannot be altered or deleted during a specified retention period. 

6. Regular Testing and Updates 

A disaster recovery plan is only effective if it is regularly tested and updated. Schedule periodic DR drills to ensure all team members are familiar with the procedures and that the plan works as intended. Keep the plan updated to reflect any changes in your IT environment or business processes. 

7. Continuous Monitoring and Improvement 

Disaster recovery is an ongoing process. Continuously monitor your DR plan's effectiveness and make improvements as needed. Leverage the advanced monitoring and reporting capabilities of Veeam to gain insights and optimise your backup and recovery processes. 

Our Expertise 

As a Microsoft Infrastructure Solutions Partner, Dell Gold Partner, Veeam Gold Partner, and Wasabi Partner, we have the expertise and resources to design and implement robust disaster recovery solutions tailored to your specific needs. Our approach ensures that your data is protected, and your business can quickly recover from any disruption. 

Contact us today at info@waterstons.com to start planning your disaster recovery strategies.