Volume 2: Issue 4
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Optimizing DR Spend
From the Gartner Files:
Cost Cutting Disaster Recovery in 2008
From the Gartner Files:
Disaster Recovery Spending Trends
Business Availability Services
About SunGard Availability Services
Many companies are taking a hard look at information technology (IT) expenditures to identify projects that can be cut or deferred. Companies focusing on short-term pressures to make budget cuts should take into consideration that disaster preparedness needs may actually be greater during economic slowdowns. To add to this, e-discovery and compliance requirements must still be retained and the needs for availability of mission critical applications remain just as important.
Optimizing DR Spend
The Gartner Research note entitled, "Cost Cutting Disaster Recovery in 2008" states that, "Optimizing on cost often introduces risks that must be considered before adopting the cost-optimization approach" and recommends that companies conduct availability assessments such as a Business Impact Analysis prior to implementing cost cutting initiatives. Availability assessments identify vulnerabilities and can provide excellent guides on how to determine budget priorities. They provide a comprehensive review of a company’s current information availability strategies – and analyze the business impact of potential disruptions. When conducting assessments, it is essential to measure and assess three major areas:
This research note also answers the question, "What if you find no cost savings, but that you have to spend more" and provides architectural and implementation considerations to help reduce DR costs and any associated impact on risk.
But cost cutting isn’t the only challenge companies are struggling with regarding IT spend. A question that arises quite often is how much should companies be spending in DR in the first place. Benchmarks are hard to come by as each company’s needs differ considerably depending upon where they fall on the DR maturity model. In their research note entitled "Disaster Recovery Spending Trends," Gartner analyzes DR spend by industry vertical and provides a benchmarking tool for companies looking for an answer to this difficult question.
SunGard Availability Services offers several types of availability assessments that can help companies determine the best way to optimize DR spend during economic downturns. With SunGard companies can also select a combination of traditional tape-based solutions and AdvancedRecoverysm solutions that over time will help provide maximum value by helping align availability service levels to business needs.
SunGard Availability Services offers these two complimentary reports, "Cost Cutting Disaster Recovery 2008" and "Disaster Recovery Spending Trends" as a point of reference when beginning to evaluate the cost challenges that lie ahead. Feel free to view these as well as the various assessments and solutions we offer that will help optimize DR Spend.
Volume 2: Issue 4 is published by SunGard Availability Services. Editorial supplied by SunGard Availability Services and is independent of Gartner analysis. All Gartner research is © 2008 by Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All rights reserved. All Gartner materials are used with Gartner's permission and in no way does the use or publication of Gartner research indicate Gartner's endorsement of SunGard's products and/or strategies. Reproduction and distribution of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. Gartner shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations thereof. The reader assumes sole responsibility for the selection of these materials to achieve its intended results. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.