While no infrastructure provider is entirely immune to a data center fire or a major natural disaster, cyberattacks are today the #1 threat to data. Backups can reboot the IT system, but only if they themselves have not been corrupted by the attacker!
“Backups can enable a company to restart, but they must be healthy, or risk starting anew from a disaster recovery plan that is already compromised. It is therefore essential today to integrate security solutions into backup tools,” explains Maxime Baudout, Manager of the Infrastructure Team at Jiliti.
“We are increasingly seeing cyber functions integrated into the tools that manage DR plans. This ranges from end-to-end encryption in outsourced DR scenarios to ensure data cannot be read by the provider, to advanced data inspection tools,” he adds.
The Cloud, a Fresh Boost for DR Plans
Another major trend driving the overhaul of DR plans is, of course, the Cloud.
“Modern DR plans increasingly rely on hybrid solutions combining cloud, automation, and orchestration of failover processes,” explains Stéphanie Ledoux, CEO and founder of Alcyconie. “Test automation, real-time replication of critical data, and the use of orchestration platforms help shorten failover times and simplify regular testing — a step that is still too often neglected.”
And she adds that a modular DR approach by service or by critical perimeter should also facilitate updates. “These technologies turn the DR plan into a dynamic process rather than a static document.”
Beyond internal resources, it has become necessary to incorporate data stored in IaaS, PaaS, and even SaaS infrastructures into these DR plans.
“An effective business continuity plan must be applicable to the entire IT infrastructure, regardless of the environments used,” summarizes Richard Cassidy, Field CISO EMEA at Rubrik. “Our solution supports on-premises infrastructures, cloud environments, hybrid setups, and SaaS (such as Microsoft 365 or Salesforce). The organization of backups is structured according to governance rules aligned with the company’s priorities, which helps optimize backup processes, reduce operating costs, and modernize existing architectures.”
The vendor highlights the value of a Cloud solution that offers centralized management and rule-based automation. A way to also contain the costs associated with implementing a DR plan. This approach helps simplify IT operations by freeing them from the constraints of legacy tools or complex infrastructures.”
S3 Cloud storage is now fully supported by major backup software, and a 100% Cloud and managed DR plan appears particularly attractive for mid-market and small-to-medium enterprises whose backup capabilities are not always reliable.
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 Régis Karakozian, Cloud Director at KDDI France “Business impact analysis is crucial” “Above all, it is essential to carry out a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to identify critical services, recovery priorities, and allowable downtime (RPO/RTO). This step must be done in close collaboration with business leaders, because a DRP isn’t solely an IT matter. Documentation of the plan, its automation, and the regularity of tests are also essential. A DRP is valuable only if it is tested regularly (at least once a year), kept up to date, and capable of being activated quickly. Crisis communication should also be planned, including internal and external stakeholders.” |
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 Maxime Baudout, Infrastructure Team Manager at Jiliti “Automation enables end-to-end DRP orchestration.” “New technologies have significantly evolved DR planning. The most interesting development, in my view, is automation, which makes end-to-end DR orchestration possible. It makes testing your DR plan much easier and reduces human error.” “The second key point is the use of Cloud and hybridization. It is now easy to have your on-prem production and your DR plan in the cloud, or your cloud infrastructure with the DR plan in another Cloud. This greatly simplifies infrastructure needs and reduces investments while meeting regulatory requirements that mandate a DRP be housed in an environment isolated from production or at a distance of X kilometers.” |
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Stéphanie Ledoux, CEO and founder of Alcyconie “Outsourcing the solution must never mean outsourcing the continuity responsibility.” “A 100% Cloud, 100% managed DRP can be relevant, provided risk is well controlled. Managed cloud offers agility, scalability, and outsourcing of technical constraints. But beware of critical dependencies, data localization, regulatory compliance, and the provider’s real ability to guarantee availability in a crisis. The managed approach does not exempt governance, test management, or scenario control.” |
