IT disaster recovery plan
in Reunion Island
— contractual recovery objectives
Cyclone, ransomware, fire, server failure — a Disaster Recovery Plan documents priorities, dependencies, backup and fallback procedures. Recovery time and acceptable data loss must be sized and tested.
A disaster recovery plan must start with priority activities, dependencies and actual risks. ECLAUD IT can assess backup, replication and recovery scenarios; RPO/RTO objectives become commitments only after sizing, testing and inclusion in the contract.
Why a DRP is vital for your SME
Imagine the scenario: Monday morning, your server is down or ransomware has encrypted data. Applications, email and client files may be unavailable. The hourly impact must be calculated from the organisation's affected processes, staff, revenue, contractual exposure and recovery work rather than a universal figure.
This is not fiction. In 2025, ANSSI recorded 128 ransomware compromises in France. SMEs represent between 37 and 48% of victims. And the most alarming figure: 60% of SMEs that suffer a major IT disaster close within 6 months. Not because the attack was sophisticated — but because they had no plan to restart.
"54% of organisations with a DRP recover in less than a week, compared to 35% the previous year. The DRP makes the difference between survival and closure."— ANSSI / SGDSN, BCP-DRP Guide
In Reunion Island, the risks are amplified. The island is exposed to tropical cyclones, prolonged power cuts, and depends on two submarine cables for its internet connectivity. A natural disaster combined with no DRP can be fatal for a Reunion Island SME — service restoration times are longer than on the mainland, spare parts take longer to arrive, and cyber experts are rare locally.
DRP vs BCP — what is the difference, which to choose?
DRP and BCP are often confused. Both aim for resilience, but their philosophy is radically different. A DRP (Disaster Recovery Plan) accepts downtime — it defines how to restart as quickly as possible after a disaster. A BCP (Business Continuity Plan) aims for zero interruption — it relies on redundant infrastructure that takes over instantly.
| Criterion | DRP | BCP |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | Resume after a disaster | Never stop |
| Acceptable downtime | A few hours (RTO) | Zero or near-zero |
| Cost | Moderate (backup + cloud) | High (full redundancy) |
| Infrastructure | Fallback site or cloud | Dual active infrastructure |
| Suited to SMEs | Yes — the recommended standard | Rarely (prohibitive cost) |
Choosing between a DRP and a BCP depends on critical processes, dependencies, acceptable downtime and budget. RTO and RPO targets are business decisions that become commitments only after technical sizing, testing and contractual confirmation.
Our 4-step DRP methodology
A DRP is not just "having backups". It is a structured process that starts from your business needs to dimension the technical solution. Here is how we proceed.
Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
Identification of your company's critical processes, assessment of the financial impact of downtime per hour/day, classification of applications by criticality. The BIA determines your RTO and RPO targets.
RTO / RPO definition
RTO (Recovery Time Objective): how quickly must you resume operations? RPO (Recovery Point Objective): how much data can you afford to lose? These two indicators dimension your DRP — and its cost.
Replication architecture
Design of the fallback infrastructure: local Veeam backup + cloud, replication to a secondary site, automatic or manual failover. Choice between synchronous replication (RPO = 0) and asynchronous (RPO = 15 min to 24h).
Recovery test
A recovery test can cover server restoration, data verification and measurement of the actual RTO. Frequency, perimeter and report deliverables are defined in the contract.
Testing is essential to verify procedures and measure actual recovery time. The contract must specify the test scenario, frequency, assets, evidence, report and responsibilities; no test frequency is assumed by default.
The technical building blocks of your DRP
Veeam / Acronis backup
Backup frequency, retention, encryption, storage locations, restoration tests and RPO targets are selected and documented for the agreed scope.
Cloud replication
Critical servers may be replicated to a datacentre in mainland France. The selected provider, failover method and recovery objective are confirmed after sizing and testing.
Fallback site
A dedicated or shared fallback site may be proposed for strong continuity requirements. Capacity, service area and switchover targets are contractual.
DR as a Service (DRaaS)
A DRaaS scope may combine replication, failover, monitoring and tests. Coverage windows, test frequency, responsibilities and recovery targets are defined in the contract.
Technologies such as Veeam, Acronis, Sewan or Fortinet may be evaluated. The selected products, providers, licences, responsibilities and budget are confirmed for each project; no partnership status is implied.
For SMEs that use our anti-ransomware solutions, the DRP integrates naturally: the air-gapped backup and cloud replication are the last lines of defence against ransomware that has bypassed the EDR and firewall.
DRP in Reunion Island — risks that mainland France doesn't face
Designing a DRP for Reunion Island is not about applying a mainland template. The island combines natural risks, dependence on submarine infrastructure and technical isolation that require a specific approach.
Tropical cyclones
Reunion Island is classified as a major cyclone risk zone. Each season (November-April) brings its share of threats: winds of 200 km/h, flooding, prolonged power cuts. In 2024, Cyclone Belal paralysed the island for 48 hours — servers inaccessible, internet links cut, offices flooded.
Power cuts
The Reunion Island electrical grid is fragile during cyclone season. Outages can last from a few hours to several days in some areas. Without a correctly sized UPS and a DRP, your servers shut down abruptly — with a risk of data corruption.
Submarine cable
Reunion Island depends on two main submarine cables (SAFE and LION) for its international connectivity. A cable break (ship anchor, earthquake) can severely degrade bandwidth for weeks. Your cloud services hosted on the mainland become unusable or very slow.
Ransomware & cyberattacks
128 ransomware compromises reported to ANSSI in 2025. SMEs represent 37 to 48% of victims. In Reunion Island, technical isolation and the lack of cybersecurity providers worsen the risk: longer response times, limited local expertise.
This is why we adopt a hybrid DRP strategy for our Reunion Island clients: local backup on NAS (for fast restoration even without internet) + cloud replication in mainland France (to survive a major disaster on the island). This dual approach covers both the cyclone scenario and the ransomware scenario.
We also account for the latency to mainland datacentres (30 to 80ms depending on the cable used) when dimensioning replication. Synchronous replication to Paris is not viable from Reunion Island — we favour asynchronous replication with an RPO of 15 minutes to 1 hour, which offers the best performance/protection trade-off.
How much does a DRP cost — and how much does not having one cost
| Plan | Includes | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Cloud DRP | Backup, replication, test frequency and RTO defined after sizing | Written proposal |
| Advanced DRP | Replication, failover, tests and RTO defined after sizing | Written proposal |
| Full DRaaS | Replication, failover, monitoring and tests defined by contract | Written proposal |
The cost of doing nothing
Calculate downtime exposure from the organisation's revenue, affected staff, client obligations and recovery work. Compare that documented impact with current DRP proposals; no universal loss, ransom or return-on-investment figure is claimed here.
Exact sizing and price depend on data volume, target RTO/RPO, dependencies, test scope and infrastructure complexity. These items are confirmed in writing.
FAQ — Disaster Recovery Plan
How quickly can operations resume with a DRP?
Recovery time depends on the documented RTO, infrastructure, data volume, dependencies and test results. Any recovery objective becomes a commitment only when it is sized, tested and included in the contract.
What RPO (data loss) is acceptable for an SME?
The RPO depends on the activity, transaction volume and acceptable data loss. An ECLAUD IT proposal can document an objective for each application; the selected target and its technical conditions are confirmed in the contract.
Is testing the DRP really necessary?
Testing is necessary to verify backups, procedures, dependencies and measured recovery time. The test type, frequency, perimeter, evidence and report deliverables must be stated in the contract.
How much does a DRP cost for a Reunion Island SME?
Price depends on the number of systems, data volume, retention, replication, recovery objectives, monitoring window and test frequency. Scope, setup costs, recurring charges and exclusions are confirmed in a written proposal.
Does the DRP protect against cyclones in Reunion Island?
Cyclone risk can be included in the business-impact analysis. Replication location, access dependencies, fallback procedure and recovery objectives must be documented and tested; recovery is not guaranteed outside those contractual conditions.
What is the difference between a backup and a DRP?
A backup protects your data — it allows you to recover files or a database. A DRP goes much further: it restores your entire working environment (servers, applications, configurations, networks) within a defined timeframe. A backup without a DRP is like having the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle without the picture on the box.
Don't let a disaster
decide your future
Discuss an impact analysis, RTO/RPO definition and technical recommendations. Scope, deliverables and price are confirmed before work begins.