VPS and Server Backup: Disaster Recovery for Your Business
Data loss can be devastating for any business. A ransomware attack, hardware failure, human error, or natural disaster can compromise years of work in seconds. That’s why implementing a solid backup and disaster recovery strategy is no longer an option, but an absolute necessity to protect your company’s operational continuity.
In this comprehensive guide, we explore best practices for protecting your business data, the differences between backup and disaster recovery, and how to implement effective solutions on our Cloud VPS and Dedicated Servers.
Backup vs Disaster Recovery: What’s the Difference?
Many confuse backup and disaster recovery, but they are two complementary concepts with different objectives:
Backup is the process of creating copies of your data that can be used to restore lost or damaged information. Backups protect against:
- Accidental file deletion
- Data corruption
- Ransomware attacks
- Hardware failures
Disaster Recovery (DR) is a broader strategy that includes not only data restoration, but also the ability to quickly resume business-critical operations after a catastrophic event. DR includes:
- Business continuity plan
- Redundant infrastructure
- Automatic failover procedures
- Periodic recovery testing
In summary: backup protects your data, while disaster recovery protects your business.
Why Backup is Essential for Your Business
The statistics speak clearly:
- 60% of SMBs that lose their critical data close within 6 months
- 93% of companies without disaster recovery that suffer a major disaster fail within one year
- The average cost of one hour of downtime for businesses is €5,600
- 1 in 5 companies experiences data loss every year
We offer automatic backup solutions on all our Cloud VPS, with daily snapshots and 7-day retention included at no additional cost. For Dedicated Servers, we design customized disaster recovery strategies based on your specific business needs.
RTO and RPO: Key Disaster Recovery Metrics
When we talk about disaster recovery, two metrics are fundamental:
RTO (Recovery Time Objective): The maximum acceptable time to restore services after an interruption. How long can your business afford to be offline?
RPO (Recovery Point Objective): The maximum amount of data you can afford to lose, measured in time. How many minutes or hours of data can you lose without serious consequences?
| Business Type | Recommended RTO | Recommended RPO | Servereasy Solution |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-commerce | < 1 hour | < 15 minutes | VPS BL3/BL4 + Snapshots every 6h |
| SaaS / Web Applications | < 30 minutes | < 5 minutes | Dedicated Server + Real-time Replication |
| Corporate Website | < 4 hours | < 24 hours | VPS BL1/BL2 + Daily Backup |
| Mission-Critical Database | < 15 minutes | Zero data loss | Virtual Datacenter + HA Cluster |
We guarantee RTO of less than 1 hour for all Cloud VPS thanks to Proxmox VE’s instant snapshot technology. For Dedicated Servers, we design disaster recovery solutions with customized RTO.
Backup Strategies: Which One to Choose?
1. Full Backup
Copies the entire system or dataset every time. It’s the simplest method but also the slowest and requires the most storage space.
Advantages: Fast recovery, simplicity
Disadvantages: Requires lots of space, long backup time
When to use it: Weekly or monthly backup as baseline
2. Incremental Backup
Saves only data modified since the last backup (of any type). Requires less space and time.
Advantages: Fast, space-efficient
Disadvantages: Slower recovery (needs complete chain)
When to use it: Daily backup or every few hours
3. Differential Backup
Saves all data modified since the last full backup. A compromise between full and incremental.
Advantages: Faster recovery than incremental
Disadvantages: Requires more space than incremental
When to use it: Daily backup with weekly full
On our Cloud VPS we use a combination of daily full snapshots and incremental backups every 6 hours for BL3 and higher plans, guaranteeing the best balance between protection and performance.
The 3-2-1 Rule for Backup
The safest backup strategy follows the 3-2-1 rule:
- 3 copies of your data (original + 2 backups)
- 2 different media types (e.g. local disk + cloud)
- 1 off-site copy (in a different geographic location)
We implement this strategy automatically:
- Copy 1: Live data on your VPS/Dedicated Server
- Copy 2: Snapshot on redundant NVMe storage in Milan datacenter
- Copy 3: Optional off-site backup on geographically distributed storage
How to Implement an Effective Disaster Recovery Plan
Phase 1: Risk Assessment
Identify specific risks for your business:
- Hardware failures
- Cyber attacks (ransomware, DDoS)
- Human errors
- Natural disasters
- Network interruptions
Phase 2: Define Objectives
Establish RTO and RPO for each critical service. Not all systems require the same level of protection.
Phase 3: Solution Implementation
Configure automatic backups, data replication, and redundant infrastructure. We can assist you in configuring:
- Automatic backups with Proxmox Backup Server
- Real-time replication between dedicated servers
- High availability clusters with Virtual Datacenter
- Automatic failover for critical services
Phase 4: Testing and Maintenance
An untested DR plan is useless. We recommend quarterly recovery tests to verify:
- Backup integrity
- Actual recovery times
- Failover procedures
- Team competencies
VPS Backup: Best Practices
If you use a VPS for your web project or application, here are the best practices we recommend:
1. Enable Automatic Backups
All our Cloud VPS include automatic daily backups with 7-day retention. You don’t need to configure anything: it’s active by default.
2. Create Snapshots Before Important Changes
Before software updates, migrations, or configuration changes, create a manual snapshot. If problems arise, you can restore the previous state in minutes.
3. Export Critical Backups Off-Site
For particularly sensitive data, configure periodic backups to external storage (S3, Google Cloud Storage, or a second VPS in another region).
4. Test Recoveries Regularly
An untested backup is a false sense of security. Verify quarterly that your backups are restorable.
5. Monitor Storage Space
Make sure you have enough space for backups. We offer additional storage at competitive prices if needed.
Disaster Recovery for Dedicated Servers
Dedicated Servers require more sophisticated DR strategies, especially for mission-critical applications:
Master-Slave Replication
Configure a second dedicated server as a replica of the primary. In case of failure, traffic is automatically redirected to the secondary server.
RTO: 5-15 minutes
Cost: Medium (requires 2 servers)
Complexity: Medium
High Availability Cluster
Use our Virtual Datacenter to create VM clusters with automatic failover. If a node fails, VMs are automatically restarted on another node.
RTO: < 5 minutes
Cost: High
Complexity: High
Backup + Bare Metal Restore
Complete system backup that can be restored on new hardware in case of catastrophic failure.
RTO: 2-4 hours
Cost: Low
Complexity: Low
We can help you choose and implement the strategy best suited to your needs and budget.
GDPR Compliance and Backup
GDPR requires companies to implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data, including backup and disaster recovery.
Our Milan datacenters guarantee:
- Data sovereignty: Your backups remain in Italy, GDPR compliant
- Encryption: Backups encrypted at-rest and in-transit
- Retention policy: Configurable according to your company policies
- Right to erasure: Secure deletion of backups on request
What Does Not Having a Disaster Recovery Plan Cost?
The cost of prolonged downtime can be devastating:
- Revenue loss: An e-commerce generating €10,000/day loses €417 every hour of downtime
- Reputational damage: 25% of customers abandon a brand after a prolonged interruption
- GDPR fines: Up to 4% of global annual revenue for data breaches
- Recovery costs: Data recovery from damaged hardware can cost €5,000-50,000
Investing in backup and disaster recovery costs a fraction of these risks. Our Cloud VPS start from just €5/month with backups included, while enterprise DR solutions for Dedicated Servers start from €150/month.
Why Choose Servereasy for Backup and Disaster Recovery
When it comes to protecting your business data, the choice of provider is fundamental. Here’s why thousands of Italian companies trust us:
1. Automatic Backups Included
All our Cloud VPS include automatic daily backups with 7-day retention, at no additional cost. You don’t need to configure anything: it’s active from day one.
2. Proxmox VE Enterprise Technology
We use Proxmox VE, the most reliable open-source enterprise virtualization platform, with instant snapshots and incremental backups.
3. NVMe RAID 10 Storage
Backups are stored on NVMe storage in RAID 10 configuration, guaranteeing speed and redundancy. In case of disk failure, your data remains safe.
4. Milan Datacenter
Your backups remain in Italy, in our Milan datacenter, guaranteeing low latency, GDPR compliance, and data sovereignty.
5. RTO < 1 Hour Guaranteed
Thanks to instant snapshots, we guarantee recovery times of less than 1 hour for all Cloud VPS. For Dedicated Servers, we design solutions with customized RTO.
6. 24/7 Italian Support
In case of emergency, our support team is available 24/7 in Italian to assist you in data recovery.
7. Customized Disaster Recovery
For Dedicated Servers and Virtual Datacenter, we design disaster recovery strategies tailored to your specific needs, with periodic testing and complete documentation.
Conclusion: Protect Your Business Today
Data loss is not a question of “if”, but “when”. Ransomware attacks, hardware failures, human errors, and natural disasters are real risks that every business must face.
Implementing a solid backup and disaster recovery strategy is no longer an option, but a necessity to guarantee your business’s operational continuity. With our Cloud VPS and Dedicated Servers, you have access to enterprise backup and DR solutions at affordable prices, with 24/7 Italian support.
Don’t wait to lose critical data to act. Contact us today for a free disaster recovery consultation and discover how we can protect your business.
What is the difference between backup and disaster recovery?
Backup is the process of creating copies of your data to protect them from accidental loss, while disaster recovery is a broader strategy that includes not only data restoration, but also the ability to quickly resume business-critical operations after a catastrophic event. In summary: backup protects your data, disaster recovery protects your business.
What are RTO and RPO and why are they important?
RTO (Recovery Time Objective) is the maximum acceptable time to restore services after an interruption, while RPO (Recovery Point Objective) is the maximum amount of data you can afford to lose, measured in time. They are important because they define the requirements of your disaster recovery strategy and influence the technical solutions to implement. For example, an e-commerce might require RTO less than 1 hour and RPO less than 15 minutes.
Are backups included in Servereasy VPS?
Yes, all our Cloud VPS include automatic daily backups with 7-day retention at no additional cost. Backups are stored on NVMe RAID 10 storage in our Milan datacenter and are active by default from day one. For BL3 and higher plans, we also offer incremental snapshots every 6 hours for even more granular protection.
How long does it take to restore a backup?
Thanks to Proxmox VE’s instant snapshot technology, we guarantee recovery times (RTO) of less than 1 hour for all Cloud VPS. The actual time depends on data size, but in most cases recovery happens in 15-30 minutes. For Dedicated Servers with customized disaster recovery solutions, we can achieve RTO of less than 15 minutes.
What is the 3-2-1 rule for backup?
The 3-2-1 rule is a backup best practice that requires: 3 copies of your data (original plus 2 backups), 2 different media types (for example local disk plus cloud), and 1 off-site copy (in a different geographic location). This strategy guarantees maximum protection against any type of disaster, from hardware failures to natural disasters.
Are Servereasy backups GDPR compliant?
Yes, our backups are fully GDPR compliant. All data remains in our Milan datacenter, guaranteeing data sovereignty and compliance with European regulations. Backups are encrypted at-rest and in-transit, with configurable retention policy according to your business needs. We also support the right to erasure with secure deletion of backups on request.
Can I test my backup restoration?
Absolutely yes, in fact we strongly recommend it. An untested backup is a false sense of security. You can perform recovery tests at any time through the control panel or by contacting our 24/7 support. We recommend performing quarterly tests to verify backup integrity and actual recovery times.
What disaster recovery solutions do you offer for Dedicated Servers?
For Dedicated Servers we offer customized disaster recovery solutions based on your needs: Master-Slave replication for RTO 5-15 minutes, high availability cluster with Virtual Datacenter for RTO less than 5 minutes, or full backup with bare metal restore for RTO 2-4 hours. Our team can help you design and implement the strategy best suited to your business and budget, with periodic testing and complete documentation.
