What is RPO and RTO and Why Is It Important to Define for Your Company?
RPO and RTO are two critical metrics that you need to consider as part of your disaster recovery planning strategy. If you are yet to put one of these in place, then you need to act quickly. Research shows that three-quarters of small business don't have a disaster recovery plan in place.
A lack of time, budget, and resources are often to blame for inadequate disaster recovery planning. As well as this, many businesses tend to bury their heads in the sand about potential disasters. They take an attitude of "it will not happen to me, rather than prepare for the worst.
This is a risky approach to take. Further research indicates that 93% of companies without a disaster recovery plan close within one year if they do not have a recovery plan in place. On the flip side, almost 100% of companies with a solid backup and recovery plan were able to survive ransomware attacks!
Below, we will explore more about disaster recover plans - and how RPO and RTO fit in!
Disaster Recovery is Crucial for Australian Small Business Owners
A disaster could be just around the corner, whether it is a flood, drought, cyber attack or pandemic. While we can all hope for the best, we also need to prepare for the worst. This is where creating a disaster recovery plan comes into play.
While disaster recovery may seem daunting, it does not need to be overly complex or time consuming. In fact, we can create your disaster recovery plan for you, taking the burden away from you or your team.
Whether you create you plan in-house or work with a third party, you will see a couple of metrics pop up again and again in your plan : Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO).
These two essential metrics will guide your disaster recovery strategy and ensure a quick bounce back from a disaster. Here is what each one means and how it works:
Recovery Time Objective (RTO)
RTO is a metric that is measured in hours and minutes. It is used to determine a time period within which your IT infrastructure must be back up and runnning adter a disaster to preserve business continuity.
Generally speaking, RTO is typically no longer than two hours for most businesses. However, for the software as a service providers or e0commerce websites, the time period will probably be just a matter of minutes - as their whole business model relies on the internet and IT.
While two hours should be the aim, it is not always achievable. A ransomware attack, for example could take you offline for weeks. Even so, it is important to understand your RTO, so that you gain a deeper understanding of how downtime impacts your business.
If you work with a third-party IT provider, they can help you to figure out your RTO and include the metric in your broader service agreement.
Recovery Point Objective (RPO)
Like RTO, RPO is also measured in hours and minutes. This metric focuses on data. It measures the maximum time limit after a disaster occurs before data loss will harm your business.
Data loss refers to data that would have been created had your systems been online, along with any and all data that is stored in your files, systems and servers. This is the data you use for day-to-day decision making, such as marketing, customer, and financial data.
It can be tricky to determine just how much data loss your company can handle. To that end, we would advise working with a managed IT services provider, who can help you figure out your RPO.
As well as this, a good service provider will help you to create robust, cloud-based backups of your critical data. That way, in the event of an outage or a ransomware attack, your data will still be safe and ready for you to use from other devices.
Boost Your Disaster Recovery and Backup With RPO and RTO
Ultimately, in today's digital world, every organization - large and small - needs to have a solid disaster recovery plan in place. Two integral pieces of the disaster recovery puzzle are RPO and RTO, so make sure you have spent time figuring out these metrics.
If you are not sure where to start, consider outsourcing. By working with a trusted IT provider, you can quickly ceate a disaster recovery plan!
Do Not Let Crisis Cripple Your Business
Disasters can be the ultimate test of leadership abilities. That is why instead of leaving your company to chance, create an in-depth business continuity plan before emergencies arise. Make sure everyone is on the same page, and you will be able to come out stronger after any predicament.
If you need more insights into developing a continuity plan, get in touch with us today. Let's set up a 15 minute strategy call to determin your goals and how to achieve them.
