Picture this… You are a business owner and prioritize making your dream vacation a reality for
you and your family this year. So off to Florence you go. While away, you get a phone call from
your Director of Operations informing you that a water pipe burst in the office and flooded your
IT closet and the entire network is not only down, but destroyed. What are you going to do?
How do you get back up and running? What is the timeframe it will take to get your business
back up? How much will this cost you? And MOST importantly, how are you supposed to enjoy
your vacation now?
As a business, you rely on having your digital tools, data, and stored files accessible at a moment’s notice. In our technologically advanced world today, it’s something that can be easy to take for granted, and you don’t realize how important that access is until it’s suddenly not there anymore. Any number of incidents can cause your organization to lose access to its system, but the result is the same either way– complete chaos for you and your team.
This kind of breakdown isn’t inevitable, however! The right preparation can protect you when you need it most, and having a disaster recovery plan is a piece of practical insurance that almost no business today can afford to do without. Disaster recovery as a service, or DRaaS, can be a practical option for many different kinds of organizations, especially those without the time, manpower, or technical expertise in-house to establish and maintain a disaster recovery plan themselves. This cloud computing service model offered by third-party vendors like Progressive Computer Systems provides a failsafe in case of a catastrophe that damages your network. Keep reading to learn how DRaaS and Progressive Computer Systems can help you!
When Can DRaaS Be Used?
Any number of situations can result in lost data and functionality for your business’s technology, and many of them are more common than you might think. For example, hacks or cybersecurity breaches can destroy or bar access to important data and tools, but you can also experience these losses from something as simple as a power outage or equipment failure. A disaster like a fire or a flood that destroys physical servers can destroy your data with no way to get it back, and even if you store data backups on other servers or in third-party cloud servers, these options are not infallible to the same issues that could impact your own setup.
Using DRaaS gives you access to powerful disaster recovery tools even when your own network is down or destroyed. These plans can employ software applications, physical hardware, or both, and can replicate your data to a remote environment as a protective backup. Many DRaaS plans also include failover, where end-user access is moved to the DRaaS provider's secondary site quickly after a disaster occurs, and failback, where data is moved from the provider’s secondary site back to the original site, restoring proper function and beginning the data replication process anew. With a plan like this, a catastrophic situation can become a small inconvenience.
What are the Benefits of DRaaS?
Having a disaster plan in place for your business is like having an umbrella. You might not always need it, but when you do, you’ll be beyond grateful that it’s there. Disaster recovery services allow you to get up and running quickly after a catastrophe, avoiding time and money lost on days and days where you and your team members can’t access important resources. Your recovery time will be significantly shortened compared to what it would be without a plan in place, and you can always rest easy knowing that your data is protected and can’t be lost, even in unforeseen circumstances.
The DRaaS model has its own unique benefits as well over an in-house disaster recovery plan. Even if you have a dedicated IT department within your organization, it’s almost a given that they are constantly swamped with work and need to prioritize what gets their attention. DRaaS makes that possible without sacrificing your disaster protection. It’s also a highly cost effective service, only requiring payment for the storage and services you need as opposed to wasted space that you wouldn’t otherwise use. Additionally, using disaster recovery services from an IT provider like Progressive Computer Systems gives you access to the knowledge and support of experienced tech professionals with expertise in designing DRaaS strategies tailored to small and medium-sized businesses just like yours!
Get Tailored DRaaS Solutions for Your Business
Whether you’re a retail company who needs to be able to recover point-of-sale systems within minutes after a ransomware attack or a law firm whose client data must always be accessible, Progressive Computer Systems is ready to design a DRaaS solution that fits the unique needs of your business. If you’re interested in learning more, you can get in contact with us today to ask your questions about disaster recovery!
