Posted by
Muhammad Abubakkar
Marketing Associate
The potential risks to businesses all over the world are always high. Today, in the age of this digital world, where customer expectations and your business requirements are high, maintaining your business operations and minimizing downtime is also becoming critical. The case is similar for businesses running their critical applications, such as CRM or ERP, on SAP.
A disaster recovery plan is essential for your SAP workloads, as it can help you cope with any unforeseen event that may disrupt your business operations. With such a plan, you may avoid lower customer satisfaction, reduced sales, or the loss of crucial data. According to a survey, 75% of small businesses need a disaster recovery plan. This is risky, especially for complex SAP systems, which require a lot of expertise and resources to restore after a disaster.
Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) is a type of cloud computing service offered by external vendors. It enables enterprises to back up their data in the cloud and access it during a natural disaster or system failure. This helps businesses reduce their downtime and maintain their operations smoothly.
Many businesses today use SAP systems to handle their crucial workloads or operations such as management, finance, logistics, etc. Any disruption in these systems can shake the whole business, leading to financial losses and operational setbacks. Moreover, it can also decrease the employees' productivity and damage the company's reputation. Having a Disaster Recovery as a Service will ensure that these SAP systems can quickly be restored, minimizing downtime and data loss.
For selecting the right DRaaS provider according to your SAP workloads, consider the following tips:
Before starting the search for a perfect DRaaS provider, you must know the needs and requirements of your business. Carefully access the size of your SAP environment and define your RTO and RPO. This will also help the DRaaS providers to set the right disaster recovery plan for your business.
Regular testing of your Disaster Recovery as a Service solution ensures its effectiveness and capabilities during the disaster. Hence, inquire from your DRaaS providers how frequently they conduct testing. Some providers also offer automated testing, which further streamlines the process.
The growth of your business will be directly proportional to the size of your SAP infrastructure. Ensure from your DRaaS providers that their service should be scalable according to the demand of your business.
Not all of the services related to disaster recovery are compatible with the SAP infrastructure. This can lead to complications during setting up the disaster recovery and even at the time of disasters. Make sure that the DRaaS provider you are going to select is SAP-compatible.
At the time of the disaster, every second is crucial, as the longer the downtime, the more it will damage your company’s reputation. For this, research thoroughly about the history of the provider and successful recoveries they have done.
Disaster Recovery as a Service is costly, and prices vary according to providers. For instance, some providers charge according to the storage capacity, while others providers may charge according to the number of virtual machines. Choose the pricing model that aligns with your business needs.
Most of the DRaaS providers have their case studies uploaded on their websites. These can offer valuable information about their capabilities and previous performances.
Selecting the right DRaaS provider may seem like a difficult task. However, it will be a strategic decision and will help your business in the long run. Carefully evaluate all of the given factors to ensure the safety and continuity of your SAP systems.
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