DR Setup

The DR setup consists of three different modules particularly:

1. IT infrastructure at DR site.

The hardware sizing for DR site always depends on business requirements. For example: If a company has 100 different servers running at DC, it doesn’t mean they would require replicating 100 systems at DR site. ESDS understands and identifies the critical systems during the solution design phase which are vital for business continuity even in case of disasters and hence does hardware sizing accordingly. Hardware sizing includes servers, storage, security and networking devices requirement. These decisions are taken by the company as they can determine whether the cost for fully redundant systems is a worthwhile investment or not. Sometimes the cost of downtime for mere five or ten minutes could cost crores of rupees.

2. Data Replication - DC site to DR site.

For business continuity from DR site, data replication should be setup from DC site to the DR site. There are two standard methods of data replication namely synchronous and asynchronous. The method is finalized in design phase depending upon parameters like performance and data availability. ESDS always recommends to have dedicated P2P line between DC and DR for data replication.

3. Network setup.

For large corporates, ESDS always recommends MPLS connectivity. If an organization has multiple branches, ESDS connects these branches with MPLS network (with failover) with Hub/Spoke technology. The switchover from DC to DR in case of disasters is done as per disaster plan which includes emergency contact list preparation, disaster declaration process and emergency communication process. The switchover can be manual or automatic. In case of automatic switchover, network configuration is done in a way that even if the DC site goes down, requests of all users of all branches will be redirected to DR site. For proper switchover, ESDS always recommends to have DR mock calls periodically.