Being in business means exposing yourself to several risks. With advancements in technology, many of these risks can pertain to computers and the sensitive data stored within them. This is where Recovery Time Objective (RTO) comes in. RTO is defined as the maximum tolerable length of time that a computer, system, network or application can be down after a failure or disaster occurs. Read on to find out more about how it is measured and how its determination can help minimize risk.
The RTO is a function that evaluates the extent to which the interruption disrupts normal operations including the amount of revenue lost per unit time because of the disaster. These factors can be better determined regarding affected equipment and applications and are measured in seconds, hours or days. The determination of RTO plays an important role in Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP).
Many studies have been conducted to try to determine the cost of the downtime of various computer applications in relation to how they affect enterprise operations. The results show that the costs will depend on both long-term and intangible effects as well as immediate, short-term, tangible factors.
Once an RTO is defined, administrators can decide on the technology best suited for optimal disaster recovery. If RTO is on the shorter side, say around an hour, redundant data backup on an external hard drive may be the best solution. If RTO is longer, say around five days, tape, recordable compact disk or offsite storage on a remote Web server may be better solutions.
When defining RTO and coming up with a plan for data recovery, it is sometimes necessary to call in an expert. If this is the case, vendor management must work to make sure whoever is called in understands the needs of the company as well as the implications of the risk and how it can affect the company.
If you run a company, risk is always a factor, especially when considering technology. Do all you can to eliminate risk by determining RTO and using it to figure out your best options for recovery.