The recovery point objective (RPO) is a key metric used to determine the maximum acceptable amount of data loss in the event of a disaster. The RPO defines the point in time to which systems and data must be recovered after an outage. In other words, the RPO determines how much data a business can afford to lose when disaster strikes.
What does RPO stand for?
RPO stands for Recovery Point Objective. It is defined as the maximum tolerable period of time in which data might be lost from an IT service due to a disaster.
Why is RPO important?
Having a clearly defined RPO is crucial for effective disaster recovery planning. Here are some key reasons why RPO matters:
- It quantifies the acceptable data loss for a business in case of a disaster.
- It guides the disaster recovery strategies and backup policies.
- It ensures mission-critical systems can be restored with minimal data loss.
- It enables businesses to meet regulatory compliance needs.
- It provides concrete business continuity and resilience objectives.
How is RPO calculated?
RPO is usually measured in time, from seconds to days or weeks. Here is how to calculate RPO:
- Identify the most recent time data must be recovered (e.g. end of previous business day).
- Determine the start time of the outage scenario (e.g. unexpected outage at 9 AM).
- Calculate the difference between these two times (e.g. end of previous day minus time of outage).
- The result is the maximum RPO. Using the example, if the previous business day ended at 6 PM and the outage hit at 9 AM, the RPO would be 15 hours.
Typical RPO values
Recommended RPO limits vary widely depending on the organization and systems involved. Here are some typical RPO values:
| System | Typical RPO |
|---|---|
| Mission critical systems | 0 to 4 hours |
| Enterprise databases | 0 to 24 hours |
| Big data systems | 12 to 24 hours |
| File backups | 24 hours |
| Email systems | 24 to 48 hours |
As shown above, typical RPO values range from 0 hours for the most critical systems to 24-48 hours for email and file backups. The optimal RPO will depend on the specific business needs.
Factors that influence RPO
Several key factors go into determining an appropriate, achievable RPO for a business. The major considerations include:
- Cost – Shorter RPOs require more frequent backups and redundant systems, increasing expenses.
- Compliance – Heavily regulated industries may have defined RPO limits.
- Data criticality – Mission-critical data requires an RPO close to zero.
- Business needs – The acceptable downtime and data loss for key systems.
- Legacy systems – Older systems may not allow for short RPOs.
- Staff capabilities – The ability of staff to execute timely recovery.
Organizations need to weigh factors such as these to land on an optimal, realistic RPO across systems.
Setting realistic RPOs
It’s tempting to want very short RPOs across the board. However, extremely tight RPOs may not be feasible or cost-effective. Organizations should take a risk-based approach when setting RPO limits:
- Identify business-critical vs. non-critical systems.
- Determine the maximum downtime acceptable for each system.
- Assess how much data loss is tolerable.
- Map systems to appropriate RPO based on the risk analysis.
This ensures RPOs match genuine business needs and priorities. Also, organizations should validate their ability to actually meet the RPOs through disaster recovery testing.
The relationship between RPO and RTO
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum acceptable time to restore systems or services after an outage. RPO and RTO are closely related:
- The RPO determines how much data can be lost.
- The RTO determines how long systems can stay down.
A shorter RTO requires more highly available systems and infrastructure. Shorter RPOs require more frequent, comprehensive backups with offsite copies. Aligning RPO and RTO provides stronger overall business resilience.
How to measure and report on RPO
Tracking and reporting on RPO metrics is key for monitoring the effectiveness of disaster recovery programs. Typical processes include:
- Setting RPO goals for critical systems.
- Monitoring backup frequency and retention periods.
- Testing backup integrity through test restores.
- Testing disaster recovery systems to confirm recovery timelines.
- Tracking and reporting on any gaps between target and actual RPO.
- Using RPO metrics in DR exercises and tabletop discussions.
Detailed RPO reporting demonstrates the ability to meet business continuity requirements. It also highlights any gaps needing improvement.
RPO best practices
Here are some best practices for defining and implementing RPO:
- Base RPO on detailed business impact analysis and risk assessment.
- Validate your ability to meet RPO through DR testing.
- Get executive sponsorship and communicate RPO across the company.
- Align DR, backup and business continuity plans to RPO.
- Review and update RPO yearly as systems change.
- Automate backup and replication to support tight RPOs.
- Consider using public cloud DR to remove physical distance limits.
RPO pitfalls to avoid
Common missteps organizations should avoid with RPO include:
- Setting arbitrarily short RPOs without valid justification.
- Having different RPO and backups retention periods.
- Failing to confirm technical ability to meet RPO through DR testing.
- Not reviewing or updating RPO as systems evolve.
- Lacking executive commitment to fund RPO capabilities.
- Trying to set a single RPO across all systems and data.
Avoiding these issues will lead to stronger alignment between RPO policies and DR capabilities.
RPO solutions and technologies
A variety of backup, replication, and business continuity solutions are available to support RPO requirements, including:
- Backup software – Solutions like Veeam, Commvault, and Netbackup.
- Disk-based backup – For quick and frequent backup cycles.
- Data replication – Such as SAN mirroring, DRaaS, or database log shipping.
- High availability – Using redundant servers, failover clustering.
- Cloud disaster recovery – Replicate to public cloud to support tight RPO.
Leveraging the right technical solutions for the unique needs of each system allows organizations to meet target RPOs in a cost-effective manner.
Examples of RPO in practice
Here are some real-world examples of how companies may define and implement RPO for key systems:
- A hospital sets an RPO of 30 minutes for their electronic health record system to ensure minimal data loss.
- A financial firm has an RPO of 1 hour for their trading applications to meet regulatory requirements.
- A retailer sets an RPO of 24 hours for their e-commerce platform based on acceptable sales losses.
- A software firm replicates source code hourly to support developer productivity after outages.
In each case, the RPO matches the tolerance for data loss dictated by business needs and system criticality.
RPO considerations for small businesses
Small businesses usually have more constraints in implementing short RPOs due to limited budgets and IT staff. However, they can still take steps such as:
- Choosing cloud-based apps and backups to minimize on-site infrastructure.
- Using bundled backup solutions from cloud providers.
- Setting longer but realistic RPOs based on cash flow impacts.
- Looking at cloud disaster recovery options to protect key workloads.
- Testing backups regularly to validate recovery integrity.
With good planning, even small businesses can effectively use RPO to enhance resilience.
Conclusion
Defining and meeting a Recovery Point Objective is essential for effective disaster recovery. RPO sets a clear goal for how much data loss is acceptable based on business needs and system criticality. Organizations should conduct risk analysis, choose suitable technologies, and regularly test capabilities to meet their target RPO. With proper RPO policies and solutions in place, companies can feel confident they can resume operations and bounce back when unplanned disruptions occur.
