Computerworld -
They say that lightning doesn't strike twice, but apparently a single bolt of lightning can take out two cloud provider data centers at once. At least that's what initial reports cited as the cause of concurrent outages at the Dublin data centers that serve as Microsoft's and Amazon's major cloud computing hubs for Europe. These reports serve as a good reminder of why it's a good idea to consider disaster recovery and business continuity when contracting with a cloud computing provider.
Your organization could end up in a world of hurt if a disaster strikes and your cloud provider doesn't have processes in place to effectively deal with it. To make sure this doesn't happen, you need to identify and contractually codify the provider's minimum disaster recovery and business continuity mechanisms. The contract should also address the provider's obligations should any of your data become lost or damaged as the result of such a disaster or other provider errors or omissions.
When evaluating a cloud provider's disaster recovery and business continuity preparedness, issues to consider include the following:
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Computerworld - They say that lightning doesn't strike twice, but apparently a single bolt of lightning can take out two cloud provider data centers at once. At least that's what initial reports cited as the cause of concurrent outages at the Dublin data centers that serve as Microsoft's and Amazon's major cloud computing hubs for Europe. These reports serve as a good reminder of why it's a good idea to consider disaster recovery and business continuity when contracting with a cloud computing provider.
Your organization could end up in a world of hurt if a disaster strikes and your cloud provider doesn't have processes in place to effectively deal with it. To make sure this doesn't happen, you need to identify and contractually codify the provider's minimum disaster recovery and business continuity mechanisms. The contract should also address the provider's obligations should any of your data become lost or damaged as the result of such a disaster or other provider errors or omissions.
When evaluating a cloud provider's disaster recovery and business continuity preparedness, issues to consider include the following:
Ongoing Level of Uninterrupted Service
In the event of a disaster, the provider should be prepared to seamlessly switch you over to another data center outside the disaster zone. Be sure to address specifics such as the time frame within which this switch needs to occur, the level of service and functionality to be provided by the backup site and the time frame within which the primary data center will be restored.
Regular Offline Backups
Backups are essential to protect your data, so be sure to address how often the data is backed up, the process by which it is backed up and how the provider will report its backup activities to you.
Regular Tests
Regular testing of the cloud provider's disaster recovery/business continuity processes should be conducted on at least an annual basis. This ensures that they are current, leverage the latest best practices and remain in good working order. The cloud provider should provide you with a report regarding the results of such tests.
Problem Correction
The contract should detail the cloud provider's obligations to correct the problems resulting from the disaster, and to ensure that such problems do not recur, including the time frame within which both should be done.
Notification Process
The cloud provider should be obligated to notify you if any disaster or other event disrupts your access to the service or results in the loss of, or damage to, your data. The contract should address the time frame within which the notice should be provided and identify what information the notice must include. Some cloud providers have set up Twitter feeds to provide generic status updates, such as this tweet sent this summer by Amazon:
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