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Unitrends Recovery ChecklistWhite PaperDR will continue to evolve to keep upcan be used to rapidly spin-up criticalIncreased demand for automatedwith business demands.workloads. System availability and truetesting and validation of cloudIT strategies are changing as newDR can be done with a single click ofbackup and DR.software and cloud services area button or a phone call to declare aBackup and DR environments areadopted to meet business goals.disaster.important. However, what mattersIn this environment, it’s not justis whether the company can recoverabout storing data but using thatDisaster Recovery-as-a-Service willdata and spin up critical systems whendata for multiple workloads andcontinue to grow.needed. Unfortunately, for too manyenvironments. Therefore, we will seeAs cloud-based infrastructurecompanies, there are frequent doubtsconvergence fuel the modernizationcontinues to become the de factoabout the ability to recover. Todayof backup in the coming year. Thisstandard for businesses, servicemost DR environments are typicallywill involve streamlining how data isofferings continue to grow inonly tested every few months or oncereplicated and protected, and thesepopularity and market share. Disastera year, if at all. These manual tests cannew cloud-oriented architecturesRecovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) willbe expensive and highly disruptive.will encompass services and service-be a game changer in 2017 as it willTrue recovery assurance solution areoriented architecture implementations.enable businesses to meet and exceednow available that can solve theseWhereas people once bought servicescustomer and employee expectationschallenges. With recovery assurance, ITand storage separately, there will bearound availability. As businesses placeno longer has to wonder if the backupsan expectation of convergence whereIT and availability at the center of theirare viable and the applications willa single application performs multipleoperations, expect to see SLAs withwork properly in the DR environmentfunctions including data protection,guaranteed backup and recovery timeswhen required. Recovery assurancebackup copy for long term retention,becoming the standard for the modernends the DR testing challenges thatdeduplication, replication, and securityenterprise.many enterprises face. Recoveryin-flight and at-rest. Cloud workloadsassurance solutions automate theand functions such as DR and testingtesting of backup and applications ininstances will also converge. Alongsidethe DR environment. By automatingthis, the management side will gettesting, IT professionals can testjoined up as well—the “single pane ofand certify, at the application level,glass” approach will allow IT to managethat critical systems are functioningand view data from multiple sources inproperly, providing IT with absolutea single display.confidence in the environments.RTOs and RPOs for mission criticalA move beyond data protection toenvironments will continue toCompliance concerns become moresystem and workload availability.shrink.critical.Once copies of backup data are in theIT professionals under pressure toEnterprises are increasingly getting hitcloud, numerous other possibilitiesmaintain business continuity arewith new compliance requirements.open up. IT leaders can begin to thinkincreasingly working to meet moreFor companies in most industries,differently about data protection andstringent RTOs and RPOs for missioncompliance regulations require reliablestart thinking about data and systemcritical systems such as databases,and provable business continuityavailability. The dynamic nature ofemail, and business-specific data.plans, including the implementationcloud resource provisioning and theConverged data protection solutionsof offsite DR protection processes. Asmobility of data and resources withinallow for the incorporation of highera result, DR is no longer an option,the cloud opens up possibilities thatperformance recovery within existingbut a necessity so that the organi-would have been far beyond thedata recovery infrastructure, thereforezation is well prepared to pass its nextreach of most companies just a fewcentralizing and reducing managementcompliance audit. Looking ahead, DRyears ago. Data stored in the cloudcomplexity.in the cloud will become a key initiativeunitrends.com

Unitrends Recovery ChecklistWhite Paperfor most organizations looking tomost severe disasters on record,included in downtime cost calculations.assure a compliant enterprise asit appears that many CIOs aren’tAn average estimate, according toit addresses the need for businesspreparing their companies for thestudies and surveys performed bycontinuity without heavy investmentsnext one. It’s crucial for IT to prioritizenumerous IT analyst firms, downtimein additional physical resources or thecustomer-facing and other business-cost businesses between 90,000 andneed to build an offsite data center.critical systems for immediate recovery 300,000 (US dollars) for every hourHybrid cloud backup and recoveryand business continuity, while certainof IT system downtime. Loss to largesolutions are emerging as a keyfile data and backed-up data (user filesfinancial institutions, telecommuni-solution to enable business continuityand archives) can be put off until later.cations, transportation, manufacturing,24x7x365. The mix of local backupThe first step of disaster preparationand energy companies can be signifi-solutions, combined with copies ofis to assess the impact of downtime.cantly higher.backups and archive in the cloud, plusIt’s imperative to understand theBeyond loss of revenue, productivity,DRaaS and recovery assurance caneffect of downtime cost on theand reputation, businesses todayempower a company with absolutebusiness. Unexpected IT outages cancannot function without computerconfidence to withstand almostunleash a series of direct and indirectaccess and functionality. FEMA reports2any downtime event or disaster. Toconsequences both short-term andthat most businesses that sufferdetermine the most appropriatefar-reaching. The dollar amount thatcatastrophic data loss or an extendedplan and course of action, we firstis assigned to each hour of downtimeIT outage go out of business within twoneed to understand the real cost ofvaries widely depending upon theyears of the disaster.doing nothing in today’s always onnature of the business, the size of theenvironment.company, and the criticality of theNo matter what the cause, downtimefailed IT system to primary revenueimpacts more than day-to-daygenerating processes.interactions. It can impact the integrityThe following chart includes bothof databases as well as the applicationsdirect productivity and revenue loss asthat use them. Some businesseswell as indirect cost such as damagecan survive some data loss, whileto reputation, loss of customerothers are dependent on electronicopportunity, and damage to thedata interchange, or are required tocompany brand. When calculating2The High Cost of NotHaving a DR Planloss, each of these factors should beProtecting Your Business” June 15,2015 n information and communication systems are disrupted, it’s muchmore than an inconvenience. Digitalrecords and legal documents can beProductivity Number of employeesaffected X hours outtimes X burdened hourlyratelost, employee and customer trust canbe weakened, and productivity andrevenue can be threatened severely.As we have seen during events such asnatural disasters, situations that shutDamaged Reputation Customers Suppliers Financial Markets Banks Business Partners Know your downtimecosts per hour, day,two days.down business-critical systems andapplications for any length of time (orwipe them out completely) can havedevastating direct and indirect coststo the business—costs that make itOther Expenses Temporary employees,equipment rental, overtimecosts, extra shipping costs,travel expenses, legalobligationsabsolutely vital to have a solid DR plan.But even in the wake of some of theunitrends.comFigure 1: Know Your Downtime CostsRevenue Direct loss Compensantory payments Loss future revenue Billing losses Investment lossesFinancial Performance Revenue recognition Cash flow Lost discounts (A/P) Credit rating Stock price

Unitrends Recovery ChecklistWhite Paperarchive information to meet stringentWhen establishing priorities, Businessproductivity, but the organizationaudit, regulatory, and complianceContinuity needs to be understood.can continue to operate, so theserequirements. Businesses that employSometimes, even while certain ITapplication may be of lower recoverya global workforce that collaboratesystems are down, the businesspriority in the middle of a disaster.around the clock, or provideneeds to continue to operate criticalEvaluating potential risk and theeCommerce to make sales and deliverapplications via alternative processesimpact on each application or servicecustomer service 24/7, also cannotand or locations for reasonableis key to understanding the organiza-afford data loss. While all organizationsperiods of time.tion’s needs and providing a differen-feel the impact of IT system downtime,The most important step in disastertiated level of service availability basedorganizations that rely on real-timerecovery planning is to understandon business priority. With more datadata dependency will suffer most fromhow an unplanned outage can affectand services on premises and in thethe effects of any downtime, bothan organization. Without the abilitycloud, businesses need to ensure theyimmediately after the data loss andto determine impact of an unplannedhave strategies to backup, protect, andwell into the future.outage in a meaningful way, itrestore their data on all fronts. Whatbecomes very difficult to determinefollows are some important steps toAs an IT professional, it’s inevitablethe type of disaster recovery strategyensure your backup and recovery planthat you will one day experience aneeded. The greater the potentialis in shape for the coming year.system failure, outage, or completeimpact, the more important it is tosite disaster. Your organization mayimmediately restore an application oralready have a full or partial DR planservice. Include the following in yourcompleting within allottedin place, but are you certain youimpact analysis:timeframes required to meetcertain you can recover your criticalapplications and data in a timelymanner that meets corporate businesscontinuity requirements and customerexpectations? Now is the right time toreview your priorities and ensure youare on the right path to recoveringdata and applications to meet your Take an inventory. Ensure allbackups are automated and What applications and data doesbusiness recovery and operational your operation use?requirements. Be certain that theWhat is your tolerance for downtimeentire environment (all physicalfor each application?and all virtual) are protected by aWhat is your tolerance for data losssingle application and with a singlefor each application?management console, eliminatingWhat dependencies (databases,cost and complexity. DNS, Active Directory, Web Review and rank the most criticalbusiness needs.Services, etc.) are needed for eachPriorities: A Checklist for Startingon the Right Pathapplication?are essential to keeping businessWhat are the regulatory andoperations running? How docompliance requirements (internalthe applications differentiateand external) for data retention, andthe business from others in thefor how long?segment? Next, look at the applica-A disaster just isn’t what it usedto be. In years gone by, mostcompanies defined a disaster as anact of nature—a hurricane, tornado,flood or fire that ravaged a buildingand wiped out a company’s abilityto conduct business. Today, withworldwide networks, Web apps, and24/7 call centers, even a commonelectrical failure could spell disaster ifit brings communications and onlinetransactions to a screeching halt.unitrends.comapplications. Which applicationsEach application and service has ation’s data volatility. Those with thespecific function and needs to behighest rate of churn or changeprioritized. Some are more time-sen-(e.g., online trans

SSAE 16 effectively replaced SAS 70 in 2011 and is useful in validating security and other financial reporting requirements. Additionally, data must be encrypted in flight and at rest on the cloud, preferab