Quick Guide to Virtualization as a DR plan

Posted on Wednesday August 29, 2018

Although many business owners think that Virtualization and Disaster Recovery (DR) are two separate services, the former can actually be used as a legitimate solution to the latter. Here's how it works, along with some pointers to keep in mind should you choose virtualization as your disaster recovery plan.

Unlike tape backups, Virtualization restores your entire system in four hours or less by recovering your backed up servers, operating systems, and applications via the internet. This means you'll lose fewer critical files due to minimal downtime and can resume normal operations promptly.

While the speed of virtualized backups might sound alluring, there are a few key points you should be aware of before moving forward.

• Backup location for critical data - Where do you want your critical resources to be stored? Do you want it stored on tapes, disk technologies, or virtualized servers? Even if you choose virtual machines as your main backup plan, it's highly recommended to back up your critical data on multiple sources to lower data loss risks and ensure fast recovery.
• Data to be backed up - If you decide to back up your critical data on virtual machines, you should figure out which data you want to store and designate specific virtualized servers to store them. In case a disaster does happen, you'll know immediately where your backups are and can retrieve your data quickly to get your business up and running again fast.
• Systems to be virtualized - You should also identify and back up critical applications that's necessary for your business's operations, such as email, Microsoft Office programs, and other in-house applications. Once identified, you should remember to virtualize and store them off-site for seamless disaster recovery when your local servers fail.

If you choose Virtualization as part of your Disaster Recovery solution, make sure your backups are monitored regularly so they're up-to-date in the event of a disaster.

Besides Disaster Recovery, there are many other benefits to Virtualization. Your business can reduce the amount of servers and other hardware in your office, lower electricity expenses, spend less time maintaining on-site servers, and save money in the process. Consider Disaster Recovery as a nice bonus that's included with these benefits.

Curious to learn how else Virtualization can benefit your business? Interested in a dedicated Disaster Recovery solution? Call us today and discover how our experts can protect your organization and save you money.