Here’s the thing about data center outages: you probably won’t see them coming until it’s too late. Whether the source is a malicious attack (like ransomware) or a technology failure (due to human error), an outage leaves your system in gridlock. For high-availability industries, including finance, healthcare and media and entertainment, downtime directly translates to lost revenues, disgruntled clients and associated costs.

The below questions can highlight the information you need and steps you must take to optimize disaster recovery in cloud environments – such as IBM i.

What data needs to be in compliance?

If you’ve moved data and apps to a cloud environment, you’re likely already familiar about the security needs of your hardware, networks, apps and even your cloud provider. However, keep in mind any industry-specific compliance regulations, such as HIPAA or PCC, that could affect the way you handle, transfer and maintain security for your data.

How quickly do you need your data?

Each DR strategy is unique, and it’s critical to assess your data needs before deploying one. Consider whether you’ll need to access reserved compute resources on short notice – and if so, if you’re prepared to pay to migrate that data. Working with a partner (and a comprehensive cloud provider) can help you avoid paying for reserved resources while scrambling to ship your systems to a DR site.

How will the state of your cloud environment determine your business continuity?

Cloud providers play a significant role in your company’s bottom line. For example, IBM i helps move data and processes to the cloud while quickly accessing data and maintaining reliability. Paired with a DRaaS provider that has IBM i expertise and industry knowledge can optimize the process and increase the overall return.

Learn more about optimizing your IBM cloud environment.

Download the “Hybrid Cloud Architect’s Guide to the Universe” eBook to learn more about Disaster Recovery and IBM i.

Clayton Weise

Director of Cloud Services

Key Information Systems, Inc.