disaster recovery – Stephen Pritchard

August 13, 2024August 16, 2024

Upcoming articles: September 2024

I am writing the following pieces, to appear in Computer Weekly in September.

Please note the earlier than usual deadlines, due to the Bank Holiday weekend.

How to succeed at cloud repatriation

Deadline for input: 1700hrs, Friday 16th August

In this feature, we will look at how to make cloud repatriation work. This will include:

Which data are best suited to cloud repatriation?
Which workloads (and applications) benefit most from moving back on premises?
How should you prepare your private infrastructure tfircloud repatriation? What are the potential pitfalls? What could you overlook?
How do you make your data / infrastructure future-proofed if you repatriate from the cloud? How do you ensure you will remain cloud-native
How do you ensure you can reverse the decision and smoothly transition to the cloud, if the need arises, or use it for burst use cases?

I am looking for CIOs, analysts or consultants’ views for this piece.

What you need to know about Kubernetes DR

Deadline for input: 1700hrs, Wednesday 21st August

With Kubernetes becoming more widely used in enterprises, the question of how to ensure it can survive an outage or systems failure is ever more critical. We’ll look at the points below; note this is different to K8 backup, which we have covered before.

Why do we need DR for Kubernetes?
What are the challenges to doing DR for Kubernetes clusters?
What are the infrastructure requirements of DR for Kubernetes?
What are the risks to Kubernetes environments that need to be mitigated by DR; how do these differ from other environments)?
What key points would a DR plan for a Kubernetes environment contain?
What kind of products can help with Kubernetes DR?

Again the preference is for analyst and consultant views, not vendors.

Data centre cooling

For this feature, we are looking into the state of the art for data centre cooling. What ticks the boxes for effectiveness, efficiency, cost and energy use? Which solutions are easiest to fit into current data centres, and which improvements bring the greatest benefits?

The rise of new workloads like AI means that datacentre operators need to consider how to get more power in, to support large GPU clusters, and the cooling requirements of these chips.

So how will operators tackle those new power and cooling requirements?

The focus will be on the technologies currently on the market, and which can be applied to existing data centres. We can touch on emerging technologies and those that work with new-build locations, but the focus of the feature is on practical options CIOs and data centre managers can buy now.

I am keen to hear from data centre owners/operators — including CIOs — industry consultants and analysts. Due to the nature of the feature, we are unlikely to quote equipment vendors directly, but happy to receive information on their solutions.

To contribute to any of these pieces, please contact me by email in the first instance.

February 22, 2024February 22, 2024

Computer Weekly: restoring data from backups

In this piece, we will look at a key step in the business continuity, DR and backup and recovery process: can you restore data from your backups?

Too often, enterprises invest heavily in backup and recovery, but fail to test that their systems actually work.

The piece will cover:

The key elements of reliable restores from backup
Auditing backup processes
The 3-2-1 backup rule
How do you test the integrity of a backup?
The importance of testing backups and restoration
What are the objectives of backup testing?
How often should you test restores from backups?

I am looking for analyst comments and best practice guidance. Best practice can come from anywhere in the industry, but I am unable to quote vendors directly.

To contribute to the piece, please contact me by email no later than 1700hrs GMT on Friday March 1st.

August 17, 2023August 17, 2023

Upcoming articles: Computer Weekly, September 2023

I am currently researching the following articles, deadlines in line:

SME disaster recovery

Deadline for submissions: Tuesday 22 August

This article is an overview of SME disaster recovery, with a particular emphasis on cloud DR due to its suitability for SMEs.

We will cover:

What DR requirements do SMEs have?
What is the key infrastructure needed for SME DR? (including policy, planning, training, testing)
What can you do in-house in terms of SME DR?
Benefits and drawbacks /limitations of in-house SME DR
Benefits does the cloud offer for SME DR
Key providers and the type of services offered

Cloud NAS – what is it good for

Deadline for submissions/completing interviews: Monday 04 September

This piece will cover:

What is NAS? How has NAS been delivered in the past (pre-cloud)
What are the use cases and benefits of NAS?
What is cloud NAS?
What kind of cloud NAS services are offered?
What is cloud NAS good for? Pros and cons

Ransomware: Where storage and backup fit in brief

Deadline: Monday 04 September

This piece will show where storage and backup fit into the battle against ransomware, and in particular via the functionality vendors include in products.

How does storage and backup fit in when it comes to ransomware
What functionality are vendors including in products that can help?
Vendor warranty offers
Air gapping and cloud repositories

This will likely be organised by headings related to anti ransomware functionality.

Please email your submissions in the first instance.

Although deadlines are above, early submissions would be very much appreciated. As ever, case studies or end user perspectives always welcome.

September 13, 2021October 5, 2021

Computer Weekly commissions: October 2021

I am working on the following articles, which will appear in Computer Weekly in October:

Cloud DR: DIY or Disaster Recovery as a Service

The cloud is now the main backup destination for a growing number of businesses. And the range of businesses offering disaster recovery as a service is growing too.

But is disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS) always the best option? Or is it better to develop a solution in house, using off the shelf (cloud) technologies?

The piece will look at the benefits of DIY approaches, and the drawbacks, and compare these to the benefits (and drawbacks) of DRaaS. The piece will also summarise the range of DRaaS services on the market, and set out the best use cases for each.

I’d welcome analyst comment and/or industry case studies for this piece. Deadline for leads: Thursday 16th September.

Where next for the data warehouse, and what might replace it?

Has the conventional data warehouse had its day? And what could replace it? Conventional, on-premises data warehouse technology now competes with a range of emerging technologies, including data virtualisation, “data lakehouses”, and cloud data warehouses.

What role will these newer technologies play? Are they likely to supplant the conventional, on-premises, datacentre approach, and if so why?

I am keen to speak to analysts and consultants in order to form a market overview, but also CIOs whose preferences are either for the new, or indeed the conventional, technology. The deadline is Wednesday 22nd September.

For either article please get in touch in the first instance by email.

July 19, 2021July 19, 2021

Upcoming article for Computer Weekly: disaster recovery for small businesses

In this piece, we will look at best practice for SMEs when it comes to disaster recovery.

The piece will look at the importance of an initial plan, how to assess risks and create a relevant RTO and RPO for the organisation, the DR options offered by cloud storage and applications, and the growing role played by disaster recovery as a service.

Contacts and supporting information needs to reach me by Friday 23rd July. If you can help, please submit any ideas or content by email .

I am especially interested in hearing from SMEs about how their DR planning works.

November 14, 2019November 14, 2019

Upcoming articles: Disaster recovery planning, and Disaster Recovery as a Service

For Computer Weekly I am writing two linked articles on DR. The first is a top level overview on disaster recovery planning. The second looks more deeply at Disaster Recovery as a Service – a market analysts say is growing rapidly, and could soon outstrip conventional DR tools.

Essentials of disaster recovery planning

This article will cover the key points organisations need to consider when developing a disaster recovery plan. This will include:

Identifying the risks to of the organisation – this is about more than just IT. It will include physical, human and (cyber) security risks.

Identifying the key components of the IT system and the potential damage downtime or failure could mean to the organisation.

Determining RTOs and RPOs for each component of the IT system.

Developing a response strategy, which can comprise elements that range from premises and people to technology.

How disaster recovery can be provisioned in house, off site and in the cloud

Maintaining the DR plan. How is the plan validated, tested and updated?

Key DRaaS options

This is a drill-down into the key as-a-service options available for DR.

Why is DRaaS changing and how is the cloud influencing this?

What are the key features of:

managed,
assisted,
and self-service DR options

How does each work in terms of infrastructure, data transfer, and recovery etc and which types of use cases, size of organisation etc they are best suited to?

Finally, the piece might add pointers to help IT directors choose the right provision for their business.

Deadlines:

Customer case studies, research reports, technical information and white papers only please for these articles. For the Essentials, the deadline is 1700hrs, London time, Friday 15th November. For DRaaS, the deadline is 1700hrs, London time, Thursday 21st November. Please send information by by email in the first instance.