The latest CrowdStrike outage highlighted the need for a disaster recovery plan that can help organizations resume critical IT operations in case of emergencies.
What is Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)? How does it work? What are the advantages and disadvantages of DRaaS solutions? Read this post to learn all the details about DR as a service.
Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) is a specialized ready-made solution that allows managed service providers (MSPs) to offer data and IT infrastructure protection to client organizations. The backup functionalities of these data protection solutions allow providers to also offer DRaaS to their customers. Whenever a disaster occurs at the client's main site, the contracted provider can switch the production environment to a secondary site and seamlessly resume operations.
DRaaS solutions normally run on the MSP's hardware to quickly copy the data and minimize downtime after disruptions. The responsibilities of managed DRaaS providers may vary depending on the contract.
A contract between a client and an MSP is an optional cooperation model. Paying per service is an alternative that some organizations might prefer. Modern DRaaS providers can allow clients to flexibly adjust the amount of resources they require such as RAM, CPU, storage space, data security, and network bandwidth, among other things.
After both sides define the expected level of services and payments in an SLA, the vendor can start integrating a DRaaS solution into the client's IT environment. The same document can also outline the responsibility, workflows, sanctions, and compensation mechanisms in case the vendor cannot provide the desired services on time and with the expected efficiency.
The three core functions of DRaaS solutions are:
• Replication
• Failover
• Failback
Let's explain every process in more detail.
DRaaS solutions enable service providers to create replicas of client workloads and entire environments and send them to a secondary site. The site can be either physical or the replicas can be stored in the cloud if the vendor uses cloud-based disaster recovery services. The vendor also must ensure regular replica updates according to the client's recovery point objectives.
A failover is a preset action sequence that switches production workflows to a disaster recovery site maintained by the DRaaS vendor. The main purpose is to restore critical workloads and resume operations within the timeframes specified in the SLA.
A failback is a reverse failover that the DRaaS vendor performs when the client's main infrastructure is functioning normally. To prevent protection gaps and make the environment more resilient, DRaaS solutions should resume replication quickly once the failback is complete. This can protect against data loss in case the main site suffers another disruption.
The CrowdStrike outage on July 19, which caused millions of Windows systems to fail, was a clear reminder for security experts. Microsoft reported that the source of that issue was the CrowdStrike software update which caused a devastating malfunction and led to supply chain disruptions. The main problem with such incidents is that neither Microsoft itself nor Windows users could somehow predict, prevent, or control the issue.
Ransomware attacks, hardware malfunctions, data center power outages, and natural disasters are also unpredictable and uncontrollable. Even with the most advanced data security, systems remain vulnerable and difficult to recover if you don't have the required resources and strategy. In addition, evolving compliance regulations and data protection laws can worsen the financial and reputational consequences of data loss.
Organizations should be prepared at all times for such scenarios. The CrowdStrike outage hit both enterprises and small businesses hard, causing sizable financial damage and service disruptions. The overall financial losses for the most sensitive industries are staggering. For example, estimated losses reached almost $2 billion for healthcare and $1.15 billion for banking businesses among Fortune 500 companies. Moreover, the outage impacted 100% of the transportation and airlines sector, leading to flight and delivery delays.
Smaller organizations usually lack the resources to invest in costly data protection systems. Disaster Recovery as a Service solutions can restore production and minimize downtime after IT incidents for both SMBs and enterprises. With a DRaaS solution provider integrated and adjusted to meet your recovery objectives, you can resume services and recover data without critical losses in assets, revenue, or reputation.
Additionally, when preparing for such potential disruptions, it's crucial to conduct thorough market research to understand the best solutions available. The best market research tools, such as Qualtrics or Statista, can provide valuable insights through reports, forecasts, and industry analyses. For example, these tools can help organizations assess trends in DRaaS solution providers, predict future market shifts, and identify emerging technologies. By analyzing such reports, businesses can make data-driven decisions, ensuring that their disaster recovery strategies are not only robust but also aligned with industry best practices and future developments.
Integrating a DR as a service solution can be beneficial for your organization due to:
DRaaS solutions have very few disadvantages. Still, understanding the cons can help you prepare for any possible issue.
Disaster Recovery capabilities are crucial for organizations of any size and in any industry. Integrating Disaster Recovery as a Service is a necessity for SMBs and enterprises that want to minimize system downtime and ensure data availability. By offloading data protection responsibilities to an MSP, you won't need to invest resources to build and maintain a secondary infrastructure since the qualified IT team of the DRaaS vendor can quickly restore your services if a disaster affects the main site.