Story · Disaster recovery · Infrastructure
A second host, a backup server, and a recovery plan with a time on it
The company ran on one server. It had a backup, and nobody could say how long recovery would take if the server died. Zach asked the question in a review. The honest answer was days.
The situation
One host, one backup job, no rehearsal. The owner assumed that having a backup meant having a recovery. Those are different things, and the difference is measured in days of lost production.
What we did
Zach opened the proposal and Nate scoped it: a second host so the workloads have somewhere to run, a dedicated backup server with tested restores, and replication between them so the bad day is a failover rather than a rebuild. Vendor pricing was negotiated on the client's behalf.
Both servers were built and configured in the Pell Lake shop, tested against a copy of the client's environment, and then delivered. Installation was a day. The first failover test happened the same week, on purpose, while everyone was watching.
"A backup tells you the data exists. A recovery plan tells you when you are back to work. Clients need the second one."
How the engineering team puts itWhat changed
ResolvedRecovery time went from days to under an hour, and it has been proven rather than promised. The owner has a written plan and a date for the next test.
The guide behind this story
GuideBackup and disaster recovery for a small business: what to actually test
The difference between a backup and a recovery, the three questions that expose a broken one, and a testing schedule that fits a small company.
Read the guideOrder the internet circuit the week the lease is signed. Carriers take six to twelve weeks. Nothing else on a move fails as often.
The relocation checklist Did you knowA backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a plan. Ask for the date of the last tested restore.
What to actually testQuestions people ask about this
We have a backup. Is that not enough?
A backup is necessary and not sufficient. Ask how long a full recovery takes and when it was last rehearsed. If the answers are unknown, you have a backup and not a plan.
The full answerWhy configure the servers in your shop first?
Because problems found on our bench cost an afternoon. Problems found in your server room cost your production.
"As always, efficient, non-intrusive and complete!"
Kurt, concrete supplierMore from the survey wall- A technician who knows your setup takes every request. Not a dispatcher, not a queue.
- Every closed ticket is surveyed and a partner reads every response.
- 99.5% of surveys come back positive.
- Family-owned since 2005. 21 years in the same corner of Wisconsin, not going anywhere.
"Thanks for the hard work. I was kept informed with regular updates until the concern was resolved."
Jeff, insurance brokerageTalk to a partner, not a sales script.
Tell us what is going on. A partner will call you back the same business day, look at what you have, and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit. No pricing pressure, no pitch deck.