Backup & Disaster Recovery Solutions from our Dallas Data Center

RPO (Recovery Point Objective) defines the maximum acceptable data loss measured in time, answering the question 'How much data can you afford to lose?' For example, an RPO of 1 hour means you could lose up to 1 hour of data in a disaster. RTO (Recovery Time Objective) is the maximum acceptable downtime, answering 'How quickly must systems be restored?' An RTO of 4 hours means your systems must be operational within 4 hours of an incident. Together, these metrics shape your backup frequency and recovery infrastructure requirements, with more aggressive targets requiring more sophisticated (and often more expensive) solutions.

Cloud-based backup solutions offer advantages including lower upfront costs (OpEx vs. CapEx), automatic scaling, geographic redundancy, and reduced maintenance requirements. They enable access to enterprise-grade infrastructure without capital investment and often feature better security measures than many small businesses can implement independently. On-premises backup systems provide faster local recovery speeds, complete control over your data, potentially lower long-term costs for large datasets, and independence from internet connectivity during recovery. Many businesses implement hybrid solutions that utilize both approaches—keeping recent backups on-premises for fast recovery while storing longer-term backups in the cloud for disaster scenarios affecting the primary location.

Your disaster recovery plan should be tested at least twice a year, with additional tests following significant IT infrastructure changes, major software updates, or business process modifications. These tests should include different scenarios such as server failures, ransomware attacks, and physical site disasters. We recommend starting with tabletop exercises (discussing theoretical scenarios), then progressing to partial tests of specific systems, and finally conducting full recovery tests in a controlled environment. Each test should be documented, with lessons learned integrated back into your recovery plan. Regular testing is crucial because untested recovery plans frequently fail when needed most, often due to outdated procedures, personnel changes, or new technologies not accounted for in the original plan.

A comprehensive backup strategy should include all critical business data across multiple categories: operational data (databases, CRM records, ERP systems), file storage (documents, spreadsheets, presentations), email communications, financial records, and specialized application data. You should also back up system configurations, user settings, and application installations to enable faster recovery. We recommend implementing a tiered approach where mission-critical data (that directly impacts operations) has the most frequent backups and shortest retention periods, while compliance-related data and historical records have longer retention periods even if backed up less frequently. This approach balances recovery capabilities against storage costs and management complexity.

Calculating the true cost of downtime requires analyzing both direct and indirect impacts. Direct costs include lost revenue (sales that can't be processed), employee productivity costs (wages paid during inability to work), recovery expenses (emergency IT services), and potential compliance penalties. Indirect costs include damage to your reputation, lost future business, customer compensation, and reduced employee morale. To calculate your specific downtime cost, start by determining your hourly revenue and operational expenses, then factor in department-specific productivity impacts, customer service implications, and industry-specific regulations. For most SMBs, downtime costs range from several thousand to tens of thousands per hour, making business continuity planning a critical investment with measurable ROI.