Disaster Recovery as a Service: How to Build a Scalable Recovery Plan

Scalability is crucial to businesses of all sizes. In addition to systems being scalable, the services and processes that support them also need to be scalable. This includes Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS). With that in mind, here is a straightforward guide to creating a scalable DRaaS recovery plan.

Why scalable disaster recovery plans matter

Scalable disaster recovery (DR) plans are crucial for adapting to business growth and evolving risks. As organizations expand, so do their data, infrastructure, and vulnerabilities.

A scalable DR plan ensures seamless protection across all assets, regardless of size or complexity.

It allows businesses to respond effectively to new threats, such as ransomware, by maintaining updated and comprehensive recovery solutions.

Scalability also optimizes costs, as businesses can align DR investments with their changing needs.

Understanding the impact of business growth on DRaaS

Business growth significantly impacts Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) by increasing the volume (and potentially the complexity) of the IT assets that require protection.

As organizations expand, they often adopt new technologies, scale operations, and enter new markets, all of which elevate the need for flexible and robust DRaaS solutions.

Growth can also expose businesses to additional risks, such as heightened ransomware threats or compliance requirements.

Scalable DRaaS solutions address these challenges by providing adaptable resources, faster recovery times, and enhanced data protection across diverse environments.

Key features of scalable DRaaS solutions

Here is an overview of 7 key features of scalable Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) solutions.

Elastic resource allocation: Dynamically adjusts storage, compute, and bandwidth to meet growing business needs.
Multi-environment support: Protects data across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
Rapid recovery: Enables fast recovery times (RTO) and minimal data loss (RPO).
Automation and orchestration: Streamlines failover, failback, and testing processes.
Flexible pricing: The option to use subscription and/or on-demand pricing depending on the situation.
Real-time monitoring: Provides visibility into system health and performance.
Compliance and security: Meets evolving regulatory standards and safeguards data.

Steps to build a scalable DRaaS plan

Follow these 7 steps to build a scalable DRaaS plan.

Assess risks, needs, and wants: Identify critical business functions, data, and infrastructure to prioritize protection.
Define RTO and RPO: Establish Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) based on business requirements.
Select DRaaS provider: Choose a DRaaS provider offering flexible, cloud-based solutions that align with your scalability needs.
Design architecture: Plan a scalable architecture that supports growth, integrating cloud, on-premises, and hybrid solutions.
Implement automation: Use automation tools for failover, failback, and testing.
Test regularly: Continuously test and update the plan to ensure effectiveness during growth.
Monitor and optimize: Track performance and adjust resources as needed for ongoing scalability.

Best practices for designing a Scalable DRaaS recovery plan

Implementing these five best practices for designing a scalable DRaaS recovery plan will help to ensure you achieve the best results possible.

Identify critical assets: Prioritize key applications and data for protection based on business importance.
Define RTO and RPO: Establish clear Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) aligned with business needs.
Automate recovery: Implement automated failover, failback, and testing processes for faster recovery.
Scalable architecture: Design flexible, scalable infrastructure to handle business growth without performance degradation.
Monitor and optimize: Regularly monitor system performance and adjust resources as the organization evolves. Continuously test the DR plan to ensure effectiveness during various disaster scenarios.

Tools for managing scalable DRaaS solutions

Here is an overview of five key tools for managing scalable DRaaS solutions.

Cloud management platforms: Tools like VMware vRealize or Microsoft Azure Site Recovery for orchestration, monitoring, and automation.
Backup and replication tools: Solutions like Veeam, Zerto, or Rubrik for data backup, replication, and disaster recovery.
Automation platforms: Tools like Runecast or Ansible for automating failover, failback, and testing.
Monitoring and analytics tools: Solutions such as SolarWinds or Datadog for real-time monitoring of system health and performance. Platforms like Splunk or Datadog for analyzing recovery performance and optimizing resources
Compliance and security tools: Tools like Veeam and Acronis for ensuring data security and meeting regulatory requirements.

Real-world examples of scalable DRaaS plans

Here are just three real-world examples of scalable DRaaS plans.

Healthcare provider: A large hospital system uses a scalable DRaaS plan to protect patient data and critical systems. As the organization expands, the plan automatically adjusts resources to safeguard new facilities and growing data volumes.

E-commerce platform: An online retailer leverages DRaaS to ensure continuous service during traffic surges or system failures. The solution scales as demand grows, providing elastic compute and storage to handle increased traffic during peak shopping seasons.

Financial institution: A bank implements a scalable DRaaS plan to protect sensitive financial data. As the bank opens new branches and adopts new services, the solution maintains business continuity for critical applications and ensures compliance with regulations.