GigaOm Key Criteria for Evaluating Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity as a Service (DR/BCaaS) Solutionsv3.0

1. Executive Summary

In an era defined by technological innovation and global uncertainty, the imperative of maintaining robust disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity (BC) strategies cannot be overstated. Enter disaster recovery and business continuity as a service (DRaaS/BCaaS or DR/BCaaS), a transformative solution heralding a proactive and cost-effective approach to mitigating risks and ensuring seamless business operations.

DR/BCaaS epitomizes a holistic approach, amalgamating technology and business processes to fortify organizational resilience in the face of unforeseen events. Leveraging cloud-based services, it offers backup, recovery, and continuity solutions, enabling organizations to swiftly restore critical business operations. Vital for businesses of all sizes and industries, DR/BCaaS safeguards against disruptions and data loss, serving IT managers, CIOs, business continuity managers, and risk management professionals alike.

Business Imperative
From the vantage point of C-suite executives, the need for DR/BCaaS is clear: to ensure business continuity, mitigate financial and reputational risks, and navigate the treacherous waters of modern business with confidence. In the face of escalating cyberthreats, natural disasters, and labyrinthine IT environments, DR/BCaaS is an authoritative solution. Offering improved recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs), enhanced data security, and reduced capital expenditure, it streamlines disaster recovery processes and safeguards revenue streams.

The evolution of DR/BCaaS underscores the development of a maturing market, buoyed by a growing array of vendors offering robust and scalable solutions. Fueled by the specter of cyberthreats and natural calamities, the drive toward DR/BCaaS has heightened, with customer requirements shifting to more advanced features like real-time replication and automated testing. Vendors have responded in kind, enriching their offerings to meet the evolving needs of their clientele.

Sector Adoption Score
To help executives and decision-makers assess the potential impact and value of a DR/BCaaS solution deployment to the business, this GigaOm Key Criteria report provides a structured assessment of the sector across five factors: benefit, maturity, urgency, impact, and effort. By scoring each factor based on how strongly it compels or deters adoption of a DR/BCaaS solution, we provide an overall Sector Adoption Score (Figure 1) of 3 out of 5, with 5 indicating the strongest possible recommendation to adopt. This indicates that a DR/BCaaS solution is a credible candidate for deployment and worthy of thoughtful consideration.

The factors contributing to the Sector Adoption Score for DR/BCaaS are explained in more detail in the Sector Brief section that follows.

Figure 1. Sector Adoption Score for DR/BCaaS

This is the third year that GigaOm has reported on the DR/BCaaS space in the context of our Key Criteria and Radar reports. This report builds on our previous analysis and considers how the market has evolved over the last year.

This GigaOm Key Criteria report highlights the capabilities (table stakes, key features, and emerging features) and nonfunctional requirements (business criteria) for selecting an effective DR/BCaaS solution. The companion GigaOm Radar report identifies vendors and products that excel in those decision criteria. Together, these reports provide an overview of the market, identify leading DR/BCaaS offerings, and help decision-makers evaluate these solutions so they can make a more informed investment decision.