Backup & Disaster Recovery

Protecting Your Business Against Data Loss and Downtime

Data is the lifeblood of modern business operations. A single ransomware attack, hardware failure, natural disaster, or human error can bring your organization to a standstill, resulting in lost revenue, damaged reputation, and regulatory penalties. The question is not whether a disruption will occur, but when, and whether your organization will be prepared to recover quickly.

Exodata delivers comprehensive backup and disaster recovery solutions that combine cloud-based Backup as a Service (BaaS) with fully managed Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS). Our approach ensures that your data is always protected and your critical systems can be restored within the recovery timeframes your business demands. Backed by geographically distributed data centers, advanced replication technologies, and 24/7/365 monitoring with a 15-minute response SLA, Exodata gives you the confidence that your business will endure any disruption.

---

Cloud and Colocation Backup Solutions

The growing volume of data, heightened regulatory compliance requirements, and expectations for 100% uptime service level agreements (SLAs) are compelling businesses to reassess their backup strategies. Missed backup windows, lengthy restore times, and unreliable backup media are risks that organizations can no longer afford. Exodata’s managed backup services eliminate these risks through modern, cloud-based backup infrastructure that is monitored, tested, and maintained by our engineering team.

Backup as a Service (BaaS)

Our Cloud Backup as a Service provides a quick and secure solution for data and file restoration, linking your essential systems to a public, private, or hybrid cloud environment. Whether you operate virtualized environments, remote offices, or NAS servers, BaaS delivers the protection your data requires.

• Minimize backup windows with efficient, incremental backup technology that captures only changed data
• Reduce network bandwidth consumption through intelligent data transfer and compression
• One-click recovery features for fast file, folder, and full-system restoration
• Customizable backup policies that align with your retention requirements and compliance obligations
• Easy capacity scaling as your data volumes grow, without hardware procurement or capital expenditure

Advanced Deduplication Technology

Exodata’s BaaS platform features cutting-edge deduplication technologies that substantially reduce both file size and bandwidth requirements. Deduplication works by identifying and eliminating redundant sub-file data fragments across your backup sets, resulting in dramatically smaller storage footprints.

• Source-side deduplication reduces the amount of data transmitted over the network during backups
• Target-side deduplication optimizes storage consumption at the backup repository
• Sub-file deduplication detects duplicate data at the block level, not just the file level
• Speedy daily backups that complete within tight maintenance windows even for large datasets
• Quick and straightforward recovery with deduplication-aware restore processes

Flexible Backup Options

Exodata offers versatile backup methods to match your application and infrastructure requirements.

• Image-level backups that capture entire virtual machines for rapid, full-system recovery
• Guest-level backups for granular file and application data protection
• Application-aware backups for SQL Server, Exchange, SharePoint, and Active Directory with transaction log truncation and consistency guarantees
• Flexible retention policies that you control, with billing based on actual storage consumption so your costs adjust as retention periods and data volumes change
• Encryption at rest and in transit to protect backup data against unauthorized access

---

Disaster Recovery Solutions

When a major disruption strikes, backup alone is not enough. Your organization needs the ability to bring critical systems back online quickly in a secondary location. Exodata provides adaptable disaster recovery solutions tailored to meet your Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO), available either as an all-inclusive DRaaS package or as a standalone service integrated with your existing infrastructure.

Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

Exodata’s fully managed DRaaS provides a comprehensive disaster recovery solution supported by round-the-clock customer service and skilled cloud engineers.

• Select the applications and systems that need the quickest restoration time and assign appropriate recovery tiers
• Employ disaster recovery utilities for transitioning workloads between cloud services and on-premises resources
• Benefit from completely automated orchestration for failover and system reconfiguration
• Customized RTO and RPO for each server or application covered by the DR plan, ensuring critical systems recover first

Standard DRaaS Offering

When you engage Exodata for managed DRaaS, the following tasks are included in the standard service.

• Installation of all required infrastructure and software elements for the disaster recovery environment
• Configuration of VM replication tasks with continuous monitoring of replication health
• Initial DR failover testing to validate the recovery environment before it is needed in production
• Subsequent failover testing support available with advance notice for scheduled test exercises
• Training session on how to manage and interact with the disaster recovery solution
• Standard DR Runbook documenting all procedures for test and live failover operations
• Live production failover support with Exodata engineers assisting during actual outage events
• Continuous monitoring of replication infrastructure and recovery readiness

Standard DR Runbook

Once the DRaaS setup is finalized, Exodata generates and delivers a Standard DR Runbook to your team. This comprehensive document includes all necessary information for conducting a test or live failover, performing basic troubleshooting, and understanding how to engage Exodata for failovers or general inquiries. The runbook is a living document, updated as your environment evolves.

---

Managed Disaster Recovery Services

Entrust the oversight and administration of your entire DR environment, backup snapshots, and related infrastructure to Exodata. Our managed DR service covers design, setup, validation, ongoing monitoring, and incident response.

During a Disaster Recovery Event

Exodata collaborates with your team to meticulously identify and document all triggers for disaster recovery events and the associated recovery runbooks. The process for handling a disaster recovery event is customized to your organization’s requirements.

• Automated or manual failover initiation based on your operational preferences and approval requirements
• Clear responsibility allocation with disaster recovery tasks assigned to the appropriate internal and Exodata teams
• Communication protocols ensuring all stakeholders are informed throughout the recovery process
• Post-incident review to identify lessons learned and improve future response

Failback Procedures

Recovery is only half the equation. Exodata establishes structured failback protocols to return your systems to their primary environment once the disruption is resolved.

• Customized failback runbooks with step-by-step procedures for each server and application
• Automated or manual failback execution based on your approval requirements
• Data synchronization verification ensuring no data loss occurred during the failover period
• Post-failback validation confirming all systems are operating normally in the primary environment

Scheduled Recovery Testing

Untested disaster recovery plans are unreliable disaster recovery plans. Exodata builds rigorous testing into every DR engagement.

• Distinct testing protocols documented for each server within the runbook
• Automated and manual test methods specified based on the complexity and criticality of each system
• Minimum twice-annual testing with more frequent testing available for mission-critical workloads
• Standard test reports documenting outcomes, recovery times achieved, and any issues encountered
• Failure remediation with test failures addressed by Exodata’s managed services team before the next scheduled test

Quarterly Service Reviews

Four times a year, Exodata conducts a comprehensive Quarterly Service Review that provides full transparency into your backup and disaster recovery operations.

• DR infrastructure cost analysis including utilization metrics and optimization opportunities
• Recovery data review covering test results, actual recovery events, and trend analysis
• Ongoing recommendations for enhancing disaster recovery procedures, policies, and failback methods
• Customer service metrics including ticket volumes, resolution times, and satisfaction survey results
• Compliance documentation supporting audit requirements for HIPAA, SOC 2, PCI DSS, and other frameworks

---

Monitoring and Reporting

All components of the replication system and supporting infrastructure are closely monitored 24/7/365 to ensure they remain functional and connected.

• Replication health monitoring with automated alerts if replication lag exceeds defined thresholds
• Backup job monitoring confirming successful completion and flagging failures for immediate remediation
• Infrastructure health checks covering compute, storage, and network components of the DR environment
• Proactive issue resolution with problems identified and addressed by Exodata’s managed services team before they impact recovery readiness
• Direct customer notification ensuring your team is informed of any issues affecting DR capabilities

---

Geographically Distributed Failover Options

Exodata operates data centers nationwide in some of the country’s most secure regions, providing flexible geographic options for your disaster recovery strategy.

• Transition systems effortlessly between locations choosing colocated backups or cloud-based disaster recovery
• Proximity-based site selection for efficiency, or distance-based selection for enhanced security against regional events
• Microsoft Azure recovery landscapes using Azure Site Recovery with a range of Availability Zones
• Multi-cloud recovery options spanning Azure, AWS, and Exodata’s private cloud infrastructure

Business Continuity Workspaces

Exodata’s disaster recovery facilities come equipped with work-recovery spaces. These allow your staff to continue operations even if your main business location becomes inoperable due to an unexpected event, providing genuine business continuity beyond just technology recovery.

---

IT Support Services for Disaster Recovery

Whether you need assistance with a specific part of your disaster recovery strategy, like data backups, or comprehensive support including defining your RPO and RTO, Exodata has you covered.

• Recovery Service Level (RSL) development with Exodata collaborating with your organization to establish appropriate recovery targets if you do not already have them
• RSL adherence minimizing the expense of your disaster recovery efforts while restoring critical applications promptly
• Compliance alignment ensuring your backup and DR strategy satisfies regulatory requirements for data protection and business continuity
• Vendor management coordinating with third-party software and hardware vendors involved in your recovery infrastructure

---

Why Choose Exodata for Backup and Disaster Recovery

• Azure Expert MSP and AWS Advanced Partner with certified expertise across cloud-based backup and recovery platforms
• VMware Cloud Verified for organizations running VMware-based workloads
• 24/7/365 monitoring and support with a 15-minute response SLA for critical issues
• Geographically distributed data centers providing regional diversity for disaster recovery
• Proven recovery testing program with documented test results and continuous improvement
• HIPAA, SOC 2, and PCI DSS compliance support for regulated industries

---

Get Started with Backup and Disaster Recovery

Do not wait for a disaster to discover gaps in your backup and recovery strategy. Contact Exodata to schedule a backup and DR assessment. Our engineers will evaluate your current protection posture, identify vulnerabilities, and design a comprehensive solution that meets your recovery objectives and budget.