The world is changing and with it, the strategies needed to successfully navigate this new world are changing too. Companies must be able to keep up with the pace of change and adapt their strategies to survive. Climate-related natural disasters and cybercrime are increasing, and unprecedented challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic have taken their toll. More businesses than ever before are facing the necessity of updating their business continuity plans, including the important component of backup and disaster recovery.

A disaster recovery plan should be top of mind for organisations wanting to ensure they have the tools in place to keep operating through any kind of disaster. Cloud computing can make disaster recovery simple, but it is important to know what is available and how to best implement it for your business.

What is cloud disaster recovery?

Cloud disaster recovery (CDR) is a service to help you quickly recover your organization’s systems after a disaster. This service provides remote access to systems in a secure virtual environment.

Traditional disaster recovery relies on managing a secondary data centre, which can be expensive and time-consuming as a backup and recovery option. Cloud disaster recovery solutions have changed disaster recovery forever, by eliminating the need for traditional infrastructure and importantly reducing downtime. Organizations harnessing the power of cloud storage and disaster recovery enjoy faster recovery times at a much-reduced cost compared to traditional methods.

Businesses can choose from a full range of disaster recovery options, including on-premises, in the cloud, and hybrid (both on-premise and cloud). The flexibility provided by cloud-based disaster recovery solutions enables companies to choose the most appropriate solution for each scenario, depending on how the business operates.  

The scalability of cloud-based disaster recovery solutions is unparalleled. Unlike on-site backup and disaster recovery solutions that are limited to certain storage capacity and performance, the cloud allows companies to scale up their storage capacity and performance to meet growing demands without any upfront investment required.

5 of the best cloud-based disaster recovery solutions

More businesses than ever before are using cloud services. It’s been reported that in the last two years, X Australian companies kept their business running by adopting cloud technology. Cloud is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, including cloud data storage. Having mission-critical data in the cloud means you need to easily safeguard business continuity. Cloud disaster recovery systems will help to restore and recover data for critical systems in the event of cyber-attack or natural disasters.

1. Microsoft Azure Site Recovery (ASR)

Azure Site Recovery is Microsoft’s automated cloud disaster recovery-as-a-service (DRaaS) solution which is both comprehensive and easy to use. It is a full-featured hybrid and on-premise cloud-based disaster recovery solution that automatically replicates IT environments based on preset policies, creating virtual machines in the cloud. ASR allows companies to back up servers, applications, files, and databases in the same way they would in an on-premise environment, with rapid response to disruptions. ASR provides Azure disaster recovery services with Microsoft public cloud infrastructure.

2. Arcserve UDP Cloud Direct

Arcserve UDP Cloud Direct offers lightning fast protection and deployment, with a push-button recovery system. The solution automatically replicates your network in the cloud and you have VPN access to your recovered environment. Even if outages occur, you can still access applications and software. With built-in security protocols and data encryption, your information will stay secure. 

3. Zerto

Zerto aims to reduce costs and simplify DR. It stands out as a disaster recovery solution by providing orchestration and automation of the entire recovery process, regardless of the storage or hypervisor you use. .It integrates with Amazon Web Services, Azure and VMware Cloud. Transferring workloads and assets between public, private or hybrid clouds is also possible.

4. Carbonite

No matter what happens, at the click of a button you can easily recover files and systems with Carbonite, with the option to back up a single file to entire business applications either locally or on the cloud. This can happen on demand or as your system changes, with the option to create custom backup policies. Backup defaults are always configurable so you’re in the driving seat for any protection type you need. You choose to restore content to new or existing hardware, without needing to add extra software. All this is stored centrally to create a streamlined recovery operation.

5. Ekco Disaster Recovery

Ekco Disaster Recovery offers an enterprise-grade cloud-based DRaaS solution so you can focus on running your business without interruption. The system has been designed to provide instant recoveries and is compliant with application-level standards. The outage detection software identifies when systems are down and allows full access to systems applications while repairs are underway, by taking a snapshot of your systems and data which are turned instantly into virtual environments. Replica systems are tested daily for flaws and secure VPN access is offered.

Creating a disaster recovery plan is essential for all businesses in today’s modern workplace, safeguarding your critical business data against natural disasters, global pandemics, or cyber events. Speak to the disaster recovery experts at Bespoke Technology today. They have partnered with leading solution providers to ensure your vital company data is securely backed up in the cloud to ensure business continuity.