Own site or service
Building your own second site demands capital and continuous operational effort; a service model converts that into recurring cost but moves the responsibility boundary into a contract. The decision follows recovery objectives and rehearsal frequency.
- Capital and operating load are compared in one table
- Rehearsal frequency affects cost directly
- Systems left out of scope are written down at the start
- An exit scenario is defined in the contract
What is actually covered
Scope is the source of most later disputes. Which systems are protected to which objective, the data transfer window, and who does what during failover are itemized in a contract annex.
- The protected system list ships with its objectives
- Role allocation during failover is written down
- Capacity commitments are checked against peak load
- A test environment is provided separately from production
Rehearsal as a contract term
In a service model, rehearsal is the clause most easily skipped. How many times a year, at what scope and with whose participation is put on a calendar up front, and each rehearsal is reported with its measured duration.
- The rehearsal calendar forms part of the contract
- Each rehearsal reports its duration against the objective
- Findings are allocated between provider and customer
- Reports are usable in audit and insurance processes
Decision and communication
The failover decision stays with you. Who decides at which threshold, and how that decision reaches the provider, is written in advance; searching for a phone number during a crisis is not a plan.
- Decision owner and deputy are defined by role, not by name
- Two channels exist for reaching the provider
- Customer and staff communication is planned separately
- The failback decision follows the same discipline