The Recovery Transformation Story

The challenge

No formal disaster recovery plan, excessive dependence on Dropbox, unclear backup responsibilities.

The situation

The client approached us after a close call. A routine maintenance window caused unexpected downtime. When their team tried to recover, they uncovered a troubling fact: there was no solid plan. Their “backup strategy” was a hodgepodge of cloud sync folders, a few outdated external drives, and the mistaken confidence that someone named Bob still knew where the off-site drives were kept.

Even more alarming, their last documented disaster recovery test was from 2019—before remote work was even considered. They needed more than just a backup. They needed a reliable plan that would hold up when everything else failed.

Our approach

Define the real threats

• Human error (e.g., accidental deletion)
• Ransomware
• Cloud outages
• Insider threats
• Hardware failure

Build a layered protection model

• Immutable, encrypted backups with geographic redundancy
• Transition from file sync to versioned backup systems
• Role-based access controls replacing informal permission models

Real DR testing — not theater

• Custom quarterly DR simulation drills
• RPO and RTO thresholds aligned to business impact
• Automated DR reports for executive visibility

Results

• RTO decreased from ~3 days to less than 2 hours
• Cold restore successfully tested during ransomware simulation
• DR plan included in quarterly board updates
• Responsibility moved from “informal ownership” to accountable roles

“altgreenresearch didn’t just give us a plan—they gave us confidence. We finally understand what resilience really looks like.”
— CIO, SaaS Company