According to Search Storage Tech Target, data accessibility in a disaster situation is among the top 10 data storage issues facing businesses of all sizes. During disaster recovery scenarios, the recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO) determine “how long” an organization experiences downtime and what percentage of total data could potentially be lost during the said period because of the incident.
Additionally, the amount these measures exceed expectations determines how negatively they affect both company performance and satisfaction level. This makes understanding them is a critical part of disaster recovery and cybersecurity best practices for businesses.
What Is RPO?
Recovery Point Objective (RPO) defines the essential assets that absolutely must be recovered.
How Is RPO Calculated?
It’s calculated based on data loss and your business continuity plan; the amount of data lost during that period will not exceed the maximum threshold for your business continuity plan before additional backup systems are put in place or data is restored from backups created prior to the disruption.
What Is RTO?
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) defines the maximum time your business can afford for assets to be down before recovery.
How Are They Different?
RPO and RTO have different objectives; they differ according to application and data priority. The RTO priorities focus on the application and system restoration. RPO priorities center on the amount of data that is lost following the disruption or failure.
How Can You Reduce RPO and RTO?
Companies can operate at maximum efficiency with shorter RTOs and RPOs. As a result, there will be less downtime, higher productivity, lower costs and risks of reputational impact, and more.
There are three proven ways to reduce RPO and RTO:
1. Increase the Frequency of Backups
Having lots of backups not only reduces your risk of losing data but also saves valuable time in restoring said lost information.
2. Use Changed Block Technology
Isolating key blocks of data that have changed since the last backup leads to a reduction in both time and money.
3. Increase the Frequency of Replication
Having a secondary copy of your live data set that you can switch to instantly in the event of a failure will help lower recovery time objectives (RTOs). Keeping an off-site, standby, and failover from one server to another guarantees instant access. In addition, by frequently replicating the data, a fallback system will always be available.
What Are the Different Types of Backups?
Backup applications offer three types of backups: full, incremental, and differential. Synthetic full backups and mirroring can supplement these options if needed.
- Full backups: The full data set, regardless of any previous backups or circumstances.
- Differential backups: The additions and alterations made since the last full backup.
- Incremental backups: The additions and alterations made since the last incremental backup.
An experienced IT support team who specializes in the latest cybersecurity technology can recommend the best approach for your business. In most cases, the best approach is rarely one type of backup. The best approach is a hybrid of two: mirroring your important files on-premises and storing them in the cloud. Regardless of what method suits your needs best, it’s always best to consult with a backup and disaster recovery specialist, such as Tolar Systems.
Tolar Systems is a Texas-based IT company that has been providing technical helpdesk support and high-quality IT solutions since 1999. We’ve been providing enterprise-level services to area businesses in the Lone Star State for nearly 20 years now, and have been recognized as one of the top MSPs in Texas.
Contact Tolar Systems for a free consultation to learn how we can optimize your cybersecurity in Abilene by creating a defense system and data accessibility options.
