RM logo 2022 140px-01

Cloud Migration & Disaster Recovery: 8 Key Differences

Bringing Clarity to Confusion:

There is a good deal of confusion in the market about the differences between Disaster Recovery tools and Cloud Migration tools. Here we have summarised 8 key differences between the two with the aim of bringing some clarity to this much talked-about area:

Disaster Recovery Tools

The RIGHT Cloud Migration Tool

1

PURPOSE-BUILT FOR DISASTER RECOVERY DR was built to restore from disasters and in cases where it has been repurposed as a migration tool it remains limited to the approach of ‘recovery in the cloud’ with reduced flexibility in adapting the target machine, limiting the potential of AUTOMATION

1

PURPOSE-BUILT FOR CLOUD MIGRATION The right cloud migration tools have been built from the ground up specifically to solve the problem of mass migration of existing workloads to the cloud, enabling flexibility to run scripts inside the target VM, enabling the full potential of AUTOMATION

2

TIME-INTENSIVE DR tools are designed to copy and store data somewhere. This requires the original image plus the space for each stored copy - ie twice the time is needed to make - and then restore the backup

2

FAST SET-UP Migration uses replication which is not intended to store copies, does not double the space or time and enhances replication by accounting for changes between the source and target environments

3

HIGH COST DR requires a 2-step process to move data to the cloud which incurs additional storage charges

3

LOW COST With the right migration tool data is moved to the cloud only once, requiring no unnecessary storage charges

4

HIGH COST A significantly larger machine is generally required to house the data as part of the overall infrastructure required

4

LOW COST With the right migration tool only a small machine is required as there is no significant infrastructure requirement

5

HIGH COST DR tools are generally charged as on-going licenses with incremental costs as unused licenses expire

5

LOW COST The right migration tool will charge a license per VM with no time limit on usage of each license

6

TIME-INTENSIVE: On-premise Infrastructure DR tools require on-premise infrastructure to be installed (such as agents) - or hypervisor access is required which is time- and labour-intensive

6

FAST SET-UP: No on-premise infrastructure The right migration tool does not require hypervisor access and is agentless, which significantly reduces management & administration overheads

7

TIME-INTENSIVE: Agents Required Approval is needed for agents to be installed which can be a burdensome process and add significant delays to a migration project

7

FAST SET-UP: Agentless The right migration tool is agentless and therefore does not cause any delays to a migration projects

8

HIGH RISK Where agents are required, specific exceptions must be made before agents can work properly, eg specific ports on the VMs or in firewalls must be opened up to allow agent communication or anti-virus on systems must be disabled altogether which can increase the threat of a cyber attacks

8

LOW RISK With the right cloud migration partner no agents are required which means no added security risks: no connections are needed to the workload’s network, no ports need to be opened, the firewall is compromised and there is no risk of outdated agent software being exploited by attackers

Get in Touch!

Our methodology is proven and tested over hundreds of successful migration projects with many leading global brands, resellers, and service providers. Our business model, processes and methodology are based on success based pricing and entitlements. If you are looking for a one-stop-shop partner to deliver outstanding results from your cloud transformation in hours and days, not weeks and months, talk to our Cloud Migration Experts today.


Talk to a RiverMeadow Cloud Migration & DR Expert

Check out our Content & Video Demos

New call-to-action
New call-to-action
New call-to-action
Migrate in Minutes