RPO (Recovery Point Objective)
Also known as: Recovery Point
RPO defines the maximum amount of data loss, measured in time, that is acceptable between the last backup and a failure.
RPO, the Recovery Point Objective, describes how old the restored data is allowed to be - in other words, how much can be lost since the last backup point. It exists because there is always a gap between two backups, and that gap needs to be a deliberate decision per system rather than whatever happens to occur.
In practice, RPO shows up in the backup interval: if backups run once a day, the worst-case RPO is close to 24 hours - everything entered since the last backup is gone if the failure happens right before the next one. For a system with orders coming in constantly, that can mean a full day of data; for a rarely-changed archive it barely matters.
The most common mistake is confusing RPO with RTO. An example makes the difference clear: if a server fails at 2pm and the last backup ran at 6am, the RPO is eight hours of lost data - regardless of how long the restore itself takes, which is the RTO.
What it means in practice
For a business this means: a daily backup may be entirely fine for an archive, but for an order system that takes new orders every hour it can mean losing a full working day of data. NDVDL sets backup intervals so the accepted data loss per system actually matches how the business operates.
Is this handled properly at your site?
We look at how it actually stands with you — and say honestly whether anything needs doing.
Related terms
All termsA term from your quote missing here?
Send us the passage you do not follow. We will explain it — with no obligation to order anything.