AWS Outlines Sustainable Disaster Recovery Strategies

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has released a blog post detailing strategies for designing sustainable disaster recovery (DR) plans. Traditionally, DR planning has involved a trade-off between solution cost, operational complexity, acceptable data loss (Recovery Point Objective, RPO), and downtime (Recovery Time Objective, RTO).

The company highlights a growing focus in recent years on incorporating sustainability into DR strategy design, acknowledging the environmental impact of these decisions. AWS itself pursues sustainability by enhancing energy efficiency, transitioning to renewable energy, reducing embodied carbon, and responsible water usage.

AWS aims to optimize the sustainability of the cloud by providing efficient, shared infrastructure, practicing water stewardship, and sourcing renewable power. The company states that sustainability is a shared responsibility between AWS and its customers.

The publication offers guidance on how customers can develop DR plans that balance business continuity needs with environmental considerations.