As RTOs for Data Centers Shrink, So Do the Options
The RTO (Recovery Time Objective) for data centers that support critical business functions has indeed been shrinking. In the last 10 years it has not been uncommon for RTOs to shrink from perhaps 7 days to 24 hours or less. This is well documented in the industry.
One of the major impacts this puts on data center disaster recovery is to limit the options that exist in order to meet those objectives.
Consider the following analysis of typically discussed options:
- No Plan: Find appropriate space and buy equipment when a disaster happens. RTO/Cost Expectations: 15 to 30 days, no cost.
- Quick Ship: Contract to have “like” equipment delivered when a disaster happens. RTO/Cost Expectations: 5 to 10 days, moderate to low cost.
- Hot Site: Contract to have access to functional equipment and network at time of disaster. RTO/Cost Expectations: 1 to 3 days, moderate to high costs.
- Internal redundant site: Create an internal site (e.g., a second data center) with redundant equipment to support critical functions. RTO/Cost Expectations: Short (as in hours), very high costs.
The trend in RTOs is clear. Time to recovery is frequently 24 hours or less. This makes options 1 and 2 out of the question. Option 3, hot sites, can work if immediate facility access and data retrieval is possible. When travel time is added, most often the recovery time stretches out to 48 or 72 hours or more.
In today’s world, the options have been reduced to only several for most companies. If 24 hours is the goal, it is moving toward one option: internal site. The point is that when presenting “options” to management concerning data center disaster recovery, make sure they understand that some of them simply don’t meet the goals. And finally, if you spend less, it takes longer to recover.
NOTE: RTO estimates and recovery times listed in this post are only representative. They can vary depending on data center size, RTOs, etc.
======================================
Jan Persson is the author of the GO.RECOVER-Data Center Disaster Recovery Template – a powerful yet easy-to-use tool for under $100.
