How do ESPs manage backups and disaster recovery?

Backup and disaster recovery (DR) ensures ESPs can survive failures and recover customer data. Multiple layers of protection address different failure scenarios.

Data redundancy:

Databases replicated across multiple servers

Real-time synchronization to standby systems

Geographic distribution (data exists in multiple regions)

Regular backups:

Periodic snapshots of all customer data

Transaction logs enabling point-in-time recovery

Backups stored separately from primary systems

Encrypted backup storage

Infrastructure redundancy:

Multiple data centers in different locations

Redundant network paths

No single points of failure in critical systems

Spare capacity to absorb failed component traffic

Recovery procedures:

Documented runbooks for various failure scenarios

Regular testing of recovery procedures (disaster recovery drills)

Defined Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO)

Clear escalation paths and communication plans

What to ask your ESP:

What's your RPO? (How much data could be lost?)

What's your RTO? (How long until recovery?)

When did you last test DR procedures?

Where are backups stored?

Enterprise agreements often include specific SLAs around these metrics.