In the dynamic modern business world, organizations are confronted with an array of challenges that have the potential to disrupt operations and jeopardize business continuity. From the looming specter of cyber threats and ransomware attacks to the unsettling realities of data breaches, natural disasters and other operational issues. The need for a robust Business Continuity Plan (BCP) has become more critical than ever.
The landscape of disruptions
Whether spawned by malevolent cyber actors or the capricious forces of nature, disruptions can lead to significant data losses. In the aftermath of a cyberattack, the leakage of sensitive data not only sullies a company's reputation, but also erodes the trust of customers, leading to potential business loss. The repercussions of the attack extend beyond immediate circumstances, sabotaging investor confidence in the company and discouraging potential partners and collaborators from associating with the affected company. Moreover, disruptions usher in substantial downtime, resulting in considerable monetary losses.
A recent Forrester survey conducted in February 2023 with 262 respondents serves as a stark reminder of the impact of internet disruptions. It revealed that 61% reported lost sales, while 64% claimed harm to their brand's reputation. Additionally, 39% stated that internet outages cost their business between $500,000 to $999,000. Alarmingly, 12% acknowledged costs exceeding $1 million, emphasizing the urgency for resilient solutions.
Need for NextGen solutions
Maintaining an uninterrupted flow of information is paramount in the digital era, where data is the lifeblood of modern businesses. Consequently, organizations increasingly turn to Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) strategies to counter these challenges. Some of these include:
1. Tape backups
Many organizations cling to legacy tape backup systems that are manually managed, posing vulnerabilities. Storing data on magnetic media, these tapes become susceptible to damage when exposed to fingerprints or magnetic fields in cases where they are not modernized. In contrast to modern Disaster Recovery (DR) methods, these backups entail prolonged recovery times, taking hours or even days during crises when swift restoration is essential, in the absence of a good DR strategy. Managing multiple tapes also sometimes becomes a daunting task, especially as data grows exponentially.
2. Backup as DR: A limited approach
While backups are a fundamental element of data protection, they fall short of becoming comprehensive DR solutions. The constrained Recovery Time Objective (RTO) — which represents the acceptable downtime — and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) — which represents the tolerable data loss for a business — presents challenges. Backups, scheduled at fixed intervals, may result in an outdated recovery point, leading to data loss during recovery. Additionally, backups restoration can be time-consuming, contributing to extended downtimes and impacting critical business operations. Incomplete system recovery, focusing on data alone and omitting vital configurations, compounds the challenges, hindering a seamless recovery process.
3. Legacy infrastructure: A struggling backbone
Legacy infrastructure emerges as a bottleneck many times in disaster recovery efforts. It could be comprising of obsolete hardware, software, and/or protocols, where legacy systems struggle to align with modern DR solutions. Data integration and replication across legacy and contemporary systems become complex, inviting data discrepancies and potential loss post-crisis. The lack of processing capacity and capabilities in older hardware and software hinders meeting RPO and RTO. Security mechanisms in legacy systems are often outdated, making organizations more vulnerable to data compromises during a crisis. The limited vendor support (in some cases) further compromises the overall readiness of the system.
Role of disaster recovery (DR) in business continuity
Disaster Recovery (DR) plays a pivotal role in the realm of BCP. It entails a comprehensive suite of plans, methods and actions strategically employed to mitigate the impact of severe disruptive events on an organization's operations. The core objectives encompass shielding vital assets and data, preserving business continuity, and minimizing financial losses within pre-defined RPO and RTO parameters.
RecoverNXT: HCLTech’s vanguard in disaster recovery solutions
Acknowledging the paramount importance of business continuity and disaster recovery, HCLTech created RecoverNXT — a DR solution framework & offering. It is designed to empower organizations with Next-Gen solutions that are scalable, efficient and capable of managing large volumes of data. It facilitates end-to-end orchestrated DR service to meet the requirements of protecting enterprise infrastructure and application across the customer enterprise infrastructure landscape. The framework involves the classification of workloads, which helps to create a DR plan and identify the best possible DR solution to meet customer’s expected SLAs. It offers seamless switchovers, switchbacks and failovers of crucial applications running on any platform, storage system or database, along with a combination of technologies that support near-zero data loss on recovery and provide recovery within hours.
Reaping the benefits with RecoverNXT
Supports stringent customer-defined RTO and RPO
Recognizing that businesses have specific requirements, RecoverNXT helps design solutions tailored to meet RTO and RPO specific customer criteria. This ensures that the recovery process is aligned with each organization’s critical timelines and data consistency needs .
Reliability through application grouping and consistent workflows
The service goes beyond individual components. It focuses on the reliability of entire applications by grouping related components together. Consistent workflows are established to maintain the integrity of these applications during the recovery process. This approach enhances the reliability of the overall recovery strategy.
Enhances visibility within the DR environment
Visibility is crucial for effective DR management. The solution includes features that enhance transparency within the DR environment. This implies that organizations have a clear view of the status of their DR processes, enabling better monitoring, control, and decision-making during and after a disruptive event.
Provides tool-based automation and orchestration with customized workflow-based recovery
The solution leverages advanced tools to automate and orchestrate recovery steps. Customized workflows are designed based on the unique requirements of each organization. This not only speeds up the recovery, but also ensures that the process is tailored to the specific needs of the business.
A flexible commercial model with vendor-neutral solutions
The solution recognizes that one size doesn't fit all and provides a flexible commercial model. This allows organizations to choose a pricing structure that aligns with their budget and business model. Additionally, our vendor-neutral solutions approach ensures that the DR solution is selected based on what best suits the organization’s needs and preferences, rather than being tied to a particular vendor.
Empowering resilience with RecoverNXT
In a world where disruptions are inevitable, RecoverNXT stands as a beacon of resilience. By combining our services expertise with cutting-edge technology, RecoverNXT equips organizations to navigate challenges effectively, protect sensitive data, ensure business continuity and enable efficient recovery. As organizations leverage the comprehensive capabilities of RecoverNXT, they not only fortify their resilience but also maintain their competitive edge in the dynamic business landscape.
To know more, you may write to us at HCBU-PMG@hcl.com.
References:
https://www.gizmosphere.org/server-crashes/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/430769/annual-failure-rates-of-servers/
