Virtualization & Cloud Computing Environment Oleg Trigub Covance Inc.
Agenda Disaster Recovery Challenges Benefits of Private Cloud DR RPO versus RTO Data Replication among Data Centers Is DR in the Cloud Reliable? Testing and Reporting Why Detailed SLAs are Needed
Abstract With the advent of the cloud, companies can implement a cost effective computing environment solution that t has the potential for saving budgets Disaster recovery plans must now be adjusted to take into account virtualization and cloud computing initiatives Traditional physical disaster recovery strategies may not be adequate to account for these virtual challenges This presentation discusses the elements of a virtual disaster recovery plan for cloud based applications
What is a Disaster? What is not a disaster? Failure of an individual dua servere A temporary service interruption A disaster is the complete loss of a data center for an extended period of time
DR Risk Ca ause DR plans do not match the current IT environment Human error Lack of automation Dependency on SME ct Effe Cost of lost revenue Lost employee productivity Staff overtime costs Negative effects on customers and end-users
Traditional DR DR services are tiered according to business needs Physical DR is challenging Maintain identical HW at both locations Apply upgrades and patches in parallel Little automation Error-prone and difficult to test
DR in the Cloud Environment Benefits Portable Virtual Machines Flexible HW Requirements Reduce DR HW requirements Eliminate the need for identical HW Auto-configure Virtual HW Automated Testing
DR Virtualization HW Independence p Consolidation Encapsulation
Basics of DR in the Cloud
Planned Migration Planned migration ensures: Application consistency and no data-loss during migration Graceful shutdown of production VMs Data sync to complete replication of VMs Recover fully replicated VMs
Failback Re-protect VMs from the Secondary Site to the Primary Site Reverse replication Apply reverse resource mapping Simplify failback process Automate replication management Eliminate need to set up new recovery plan Streamline frequent bi-directional migrations Restrictions Does not apply if the Protected DC has undergone major changes or had been rebuilt
DR Planning Perform Business Impact Analysis and map service Tiers Availability requirements Identify RTO and RPO Cost Application Dependency Mapping Identify dependencies d between application components Consider IP, AD, etc. Use Professional Services
RTO & RPO How quickly can I be up and working again? A couple of questions back at you! How long can your business afford to be down (RTO)? How much data are you willing to loose (RPO)?
RTO & RPO RTO and RPO are key concepts Very different for small firms than for large corporations Right-size it and do not skimp
Test Set-up Comparison Configure HW Install OS Configure OS Install Backup Agent Start DR or Test Restore VM Power on VM Minimize DR steps Not necessary to install or reconfigure HW or OS Standardize DR process Independent of OS and HW
Testing Virtual DR Create isolated test environment Snapshot replicated storage before test Change all VMs to a test port Automate test execution Using recovery plan created during setup Customizable for testing with extra breakpoints and callouts for test Log test execution Reset environment after test Delete any test VMs Delete snapshots of replicated storage
Service Level Agreement SLA is a living agreement between client and vendor Perform a SLA assessment process for every NEW cloud service Reassess the SLA as services CHANGE Use SLA as a guide for potential issues to protect Stability of the service Assets of the company
Defining Cloud SLAs Define an effective management process Clarify roles and responsibilities Consider policies and procedures Identify service management requirements Evaluate security and privacy requirements Understand security, availability, and performance risks Understand the disaster recovery plan Prepare for service failure management Identify critical objectives Understand the exit process
Q&A