Microsoft Azure, operational excellence in case of incidents
The success of a solution is not just about the features available. In our connected environment, the quality of Internet service is a crucial issue. An unavailability – even temporary – of these services has consequences on the reputation and image of the company. But zero risk does not exist. It is therefore important for the company to also rely on solutions that take into account the Recovery Time Objective (RTO), i.e. the maximum allowable interruption of an IT resource.
The RTO is defined in advance. And this, according to the production needs of the company. This maximum and acceptable time during which a server, network, computer or application is no longer functional depends on the critical level of the failure. Let’s take the example of a SME that uses business management software for its production. If this ERP fails, production stops. The company is putting itself in danger. In this case, the RTO should be extremely short. Conversely, the RTO of an instant messaging application may be much longer, since it is not a critical application.
Disaster recovery plan
In the event of a failure, the company must take into account another equally crucial factor. This is the RPO or Recovery Point Objective. This is the maximum amount of time that it is acceptable to lose data during a failure. Quantifying the RPO actually defines the backup objectives, which requires knowing the volume and backup windows. In the event of an incident, forward-thinking companies put in place a Disaster recovery Plan that formalizes processes to ensure the resumption of activities, whether from a logistical, human or IT point of view.
It is in this IT context that the definition of the RTO and RPO makes it possible to plan the actions to be taken in the event of a disaster, but also and above all to adopt an IT investment strategy for a catastrophic situation. In these issues, Microsoft Azure solutions allow easy access to features available according to the needs of the company. For example, automatic backups, creation of a complete environment by code, automatic addition and reduction of resources in real time according to demand, or alarm and reaction automation. This flexibility of Azure allows the company to ensure its balance between business needs and operational costs in case of an incident.
