Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy and Testing Training Course

Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy and Testing Training Course

Introduction

The modern enterprise critically depends on its digital infrastructure, making Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (DR) non-negotiable pillars of operational resilience. Traditional on-premises DR solutions are often rigid, expensive, and slow to scale, an issue decisively addressed by Cloud Disaster Recovery. Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategy and Testing Training Course is designed to equip IT professionals, managers, and architects with the strategic planning and hands-on testing expertise required to build and validate robust, cost-effective, and highly-available recovery environments leveraging major cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP. You will master the methodologies to define critical Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO), design and implement hybrid and multi-cloud DR architectures, and deploy automated orchestration tools for rapid, minimal-downtime failover and failback.

This essential training focuses on moving beyond theoretical knowledge to practical application in a world of ever-increasing cyber threats, particularly Ransomware Protection and sophisticated Cyber Resilience challenges. By integrating in-depth case studies and a structured testing framework, participants will gain the confidence to lead their organizations in establishing a continuous cycle of DR Plan Validation and Continuous Improvement. Upon completion, you will be the definitive subject matter expert, capable of transforming your organization's reactive disaster response into a proactive, future-proof strategy that directly supports IT Governance and Regulatory Compliance while driving significant Operational Efficiency.

Course Duration

5 days

Course Objectives

1. Strategize and Implement a resilient Cloud Disaster Recovery (Cloud DR) program.
2. Define and align Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) with business tolerance.
3. Conduct a comprehensive Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and Risk Assessment for cloud workloads.
4. Design and architect Hybrid Cloud and Multi-Cloud DR solutions for optimal redundancy.
5. Master Continuous Data Replication and Automated Failover and Failback procedures.
6. Evaluate and select the most appropriate cloud DR strategies.
7. Integrate Ransomware Protection and Immutable Backups into the core DR plan.
8. Develop a detailed DR Runbook and Incident Response Plan for crisis management.
9. Plan, execute, and analyze results from Tabletop Exercises and Full DR Simulations.
10. Ensure the DR strategy meets stringent Regulatory Compliance standards.
11. Leverage Automation and Orchestration tools to minimize human error and accelerate recovery.
12. Calculate the Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) for various cloud DR solutions.
13. Establish a framework for DR Plan Maintenance and Continuous Improvement (CI).

Target Audience

1. IT Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Managers.
2. Cloud Architects and Engineers.
3. Security and Compliance Officers.
4. System/Network Administrators.
5. Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and IT Directors.
6. DevOps Engineers.
7. Risk Management Professionals.
8. Technical Consultants.

Course Modules

Module 1: Foundations of Cloud Resilience and DR Strategy

• Differentiating between Business Continuity (BC) and Disaster Recovery (DR).
• Defining, calculating, and prioritizing RTO and RPO for critical applications.
• Conducting Risk Assessments and a structured Business Impact Analysis (BIA).
• Overview of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS DR considerations and the Shared Responsibility Model.
• Case Study: Analysis of a major cloud outage's financial and reputational impact due to misaligned RTO/RPO.

Module 2: Cloud DR Architecture Design and Best Practices

• Deep dive into Pilot Light, Warm Standby, and Hot Site strategies.
• Implementing synchronous vs. asynchronous replication across cloud regions/zones.
• Designing resilient network failover, DNS configuration, and IP address management.
• Strategies for Immutable Backups, snapshots, and continuous data protection (CDP).
• Case Study: Designing a cost-optimized Warm Standby solution for a SaaS application using Azure Site Recovery.

Module 3: Ransomware and Cyber Resilience

• Understanding modern cyber threats, particularly ransomware and insider attacks.
• Implementing an air-gapped or immutable cloud backup strategy to guarantee clean recovery.
• Integrating incident response procedures for data breach and compromise scenarios.
• Applying Zero Trust principles to the DR environment to limit lateral movement.
• Case Study: The recovery process following a major ransomware attack, highlighting the role of immutable cloud vaults in mitigating financial loss.

Module 4: DR Automation and Orchestration

• Introduction to specialized DR orchestration platforms and native cloud tools.
• Using Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools for automated environment provisioning.
• Creating automated, validated workflows for system start-up and dependency mapping.
• Planning and executing an orderly, low-risk failback to the primary site.
• Case Study: Automated failover to a different AWS Region using a single orchestration runbook, showcasing reduced recovery time.

Module 5: Developing the DR Plan and Runbook

• Key components of a comprehensive DR Plan and the essential DR Runbook.
• Defining clear roles, responsibilities, and the crisis communication matrix.
• Inventory management, system criticality tiering, and dependency mapping.
• Post-mortem analysis, documentation updates, and lessons learned process.
• Case Study: Review of a successful DR activation using a well-documented Runbook during a regional natural disaster.

Module 6: DR Testing and Validation

• Designing and executing Tabletop Exercises, Component Tests, and Full Failover Simulations.
• Measuring RTO/RPO compliance during testing and identifying performance bottlenecks.
• Ensuring data integrity and application functionality post-recovery.
• Documenting test results, gaps, and formulating corrective actions.
• Case Study: A full-scale annual DR drill for a financial institution, uncovering critical configuration drifts and network issues.

Module 7: Cloud DR Governance, Cost, and Compliance

• Optimizing DR costs using tiered storage, reserved instances, and automated power-down of test environments.
• Mapping DR procedures to regulatory requirements
• Preparing for and conducting internal and external DR compliance audits.
• Managing governance and security policies across diverse cloud providers.
• Case Study: Meeting specific GDPR data sovereignty and recovery requirements using geo-redundancy in the European region.

Module 8: Advanced DR Concepts and Continuous Improvement

• Integrating DR into CI/CD pipelines.
• Exploring the role of AI/ML in predictive failure analysis and automated self-healing.
• Strategies for recovering and protecting serverless and containerized workloads
• Establishing a schedule for regular reviews, updates, and configuration drift management.
• Case Study: Transitioning from an annual DR test to a Continuous Validation model for a high-velocity e-commerce platform.

Training Methodology

This course employs a participatory and hands-on approach to ensure practical learning, including:

• Interactive lectures and presentations.
• Group discussions and brainstorming sessions.
• Hands-on exercises using real-world datasets.
• Role-playing and scenario-based simulations.
• Analysis of case studies to bridge theory and practice.
• Peer-to-peer learning and networking.
• Expert-led Q&A sessions.
• Continuous feedback and personalized guidance.

 Register as a group from 3 participants for a Discount

Send us an email: info@datastatresearch.org or call +254724527104 

 Certification

Upon successful completion of this training, participants will be issued with a globally- recognized certificate.

Tailor-Made Course

 We also offer tailor-made courses based on your needs.

Key Notes

a. The participant must be conversant with English.

b. Upon completion of training the participant will be issued with an Authorized Training Certificate

c. Course duration is flexible and the contents can be modified to fit any number of days.

d. The course fee includes facilitation training materials, 2 coffee breaks, buffet lunch and A Certificate upon successful completion of Training.

e. One-year post-training support Consultation and Coaching provided after the course.

f. Payment should be done at least a week before commence of the training, to DATASTAT CONSULTANCY LTD account, as indicated in the invoice so as to enable us prepare better for you.