A disaster recovery plan (DRP) ensures that your data and applications will be accessible in case of a catastrophic disaster. However, executing and monitoring a disaster recovery process is complex and time-consuming. Disaster Recovery as a Service, or DRaaS, solves these challenges by providing the infrastructure and automation to manage failover and failback processes. It takes advantage of cloud-based DR orchestration engines found in modern data management platforms or as standalone solutions. DRaaS eliminates expensive and time-consuming infrastructure expenses, democratizing DR by making it affordable for small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs) and enterprises alike.

Unlike backup-as-a-service (BaaS), DRaaS goes beyond simply backing up files and servers to the cloud; it replicates your entire virtual infrastructure to an offsite facility, so that if a disaster occurs, you can seamlessly fail over to your DRaaS environment. Depending on the vendor, this may include everything from virtual machines to mainframes and on-premises servers.

While DRaaS is an excellent option for organizations that cannot afford to build and operate their own disaster recovery infrastructure, it does come with some disadvantages. For example, if your organization chooses to implement a managed DRaaS model, your third-party DRaaS vendor is responsible for replicating and monitoring your infrastructure. They are also responsible for rerouting end-user access to the remote facility during a disaster and for managing the failback process when the disaster has passed.

This approach can be challenging for smaller organizations to execute, especially if the third-party provider does not have expertise in your industry or a long track record of successful implementations. The responsibilities of your DRaaS vendor are documented in a service level agreement, which you should carefully review before choosing a vendor.

When selecting a DRaaS solution, it is important to start with a clear understanding of your business and technical goals. This will help you identify the right type of DRaaS and ensure that the solution meets your needs. This process includes performing a business impact analysis and testing your infrastructure and applications in a simulated disaster environment.

In addition, a DRaaS solution should be scalable and able to support your business as it grows. A scalable DRaaS platform will have the ability to add additional servers and increase bandwidth as needed. A scalable solution will also allow you to pay only for what you use and scale back down when your business is not at full capacity. This will reduce your operational costs and free up your staff to focus on revenue-generating projects. Ultimately, this is what makes DRaaS so valuable. Regardless of the size of your business, it is essential to protect against costly downtime and disasters. With a DRaaS solution in place, your business can be confident that it will survive even the most severe disasters.