Cloud Storage Sets the Stage for DR in the Cloud
Organizations already store copies of backup data in cloud storage offerings from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and others. Now they want to use those backup copies to perform disaster recoveries (DR) in the cloud.
However, organizations cannot assume backup copies stored on cloud storage immediately positions them to perform a DR in the cloud. Rather, those backup copies have only set the stage for them to do so.
For instance, some organizations use multiple backup solutions. As a result, backup data they need to recover in the cloud may not yet reside in the cloud. Other backup solutions may use cloud storage but manage it poorly. This results in organizations spending too much time managing cloud storage. In still other cases, organizations store data on cloud storage but place it in the wrong cloud or cloud location.
These issues require organizations to re-examine how they manage and store backup copies on cloud storage. They want to use backup copies residing on cloud storage to perform DRs in the cloud. However, they also want to minimize their cloud storage costs, complexity, and risk. These following three best practices better position organizations to achieve these objectives.
- Deduplicate backup data before storing copies on cloud storage
- Simplify cloud storage management
- Leverage cloud storage’s cloud tiering and cloud lock features
