Issue link: https://insights.oneneck.com/i/1190444
5 DISASTER RECOVERY GUIDE – Powered by ZERTO The concept of Disaster Recovery What is Disaster Recovery (DR)? Literally, it means to recover from a disaster, the time and labor it takes to be up and running again after data loss or downtime. This time depends on the solution that is chosen to protect the business against data loss. DR it is not just about the time systems and employees cannot work, it is also about the amount of data lost when having to fall back on a previous version of the data. Businesses should ask themselves, how much an hour of downtime will cost. And foremost: is it possible to remember and reproduce the work employees (or systems) did in the last few hours? 95% of all companies are not able to answer this question... Backup is not a true disaster recovery solution Disaster recovery involves many different concepts, which might get confusing: disaster recovery, business continuity, backup, RTO and RPO. Best known is data backup, which means replicating data or VMs to another device or location, done consistently at a regular interval (say, every 24 hours), for recovery, or as a long-term retention solution for compliance. However, in case of a disaster, backup is an empty concept without a disaster recovery (DR) solution, the ability to recover the files, software and functionality. Usually this consists of more than just copying the data back to its original system. If a server is down, it needs to be re-installed, reconfigured and maybe even replaced. Backups are not a true disaster recovery solution. With a backup, VMs must be completely reconstructed as there is no automation built into a backup process. RESPONDING TO RANSOMWARE The last few years a rising trend is visible, of hackers attempting to extort money from both private users and businesses, via various Ransomware Trojans such as CryptoLocker. These malicious pieces of software encrypt data, files, or even complete server systems, by generating a private-public pair of keys. The data is impossible to decrypt without the private key, which is stored on the attacker's server until the ransom is paid. The best way to protect businesses against this threat is to use up-to-date Anti-Virus and security software, a solid recovery strategy, as well as educating users on the threat of phishing mails, where the viruses usually originate from. In the unfortunate case a business is the victim of a ransomware attack, Zerto can help mitigate data loss: • Rewind the systems to the last point-in-time before the infection struck, to within a matter of seconds. • Recover all the critical systems within the space of a few minutes, with only a few clicks of a button. • Not only restore entire applications and databases with consistency, but restore individual files as well. • Perform non-disruptive failover tests at any time, to be sure the business can be brought back online straight away when needed. • Create off-site data copies for longer-term data retention in addition to giving the business a Continuous Data Protection for up to 14 days.