Just realized our backup vendor's '24-hour' recovery time is a best-case fantasy

I was talking with a friend who runs a small clinic, and she said their data restore after a server crash took three full days because the vendor's process was manual. It made me check our own SLA, and sure enough, the fine print says 'up to 24 hours' after they get the request. Has anyone else had to push for a real, tested recovery timeline?

2 comments

2 Comments

patchen1mo ago

Check your contract for the real number. Our last test showed a 36 hour wait just for them to find the right backup tape. They call it a "service level agreement" but it only lists what they don't promise. You need to run your own restore test every quarter and time it. That's the only timeline you can trust.

lucas_carr241mo ago

I get why you're saying that, but our experience has been different. We actually tested a full restore last month and they had our data back in under four hours. Their SLA clearly states a 12 hour recovery time objective, and they've hit it every time we've checked. Maybe it depends on the provider you're using.