Cloud computing outages – from a failed component to total service meltdown – are inevitable. During such events, businesses will lose access to data and resources and suffer downtime, impacting revenues. Recovering from these disasters depends upon the strength of the business’ cloud outage contingency plan.
A good cloud outage plan should include contingencies for data recovery, continuity, and (in extreme cases) infrastructure failures. The plan’s parameters will vary, depending on the size of the organization and data usage patterns. Here are 4 tips on where to start:
Know thy cloud computing network
Keep updated lists of dependencies, data access permissions and data controls in your contingency plan. If you don’t know what’s running in your cloud, you’ll have a hard time trying to put things back together.
If your business is heavily dependent on the cloud for key services and mission-critical data, you need to create a comprehensive map containing core components and the order of recovery. In most cases, an organization’s entire data need not be recovered to continue functioning during a cloud outage. However, knowing what to recover and the correct order, can save time and effort in case of such an event.
Address user experience issues
The end user will probably feel the full effect of a cloud computing outage, so factor user experience into any contingency and/or backup plan. Aim for minimal disruption from a user’s point of view during the planning and design phases. A properly formulated strategy will allow the user access to alternative resources in a specified time, usually according to a service-level agreement. For complete post see here
