The verdict in three sentences
A disaster recovery (DR) plan is not a luxury for big groups: it is vital insurance as soon as a website carries a significant share of revenue. In 2026, setup costs 3,000 to 8,000 EUR one-off, plus 80 to 250 EUR/month for redundant hosting. The two numbers that matter are the RTO (recovery time) and the RPO (maximum acceptable data loss).
RTO, RPO and cost: the 2026 trade-offs
The shorter the RTO and RPO, the more the infrastructure costs. The point is to calibrate these targets to the site's real criticality without over-investing.
| Target | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTO (recovery) | 24 h | 4 h | < 1 h |
| RPO (max loss) | 24 h | 6 h | 1 h |
| Backup | daily | 2x/day | continuous |
| Hosting | single-site | redundant | multi-region |
| Monthly cost (EUR) | 80 - 120 | 150 - 250 | 300+ |
| One-off setup (EUR) | 3,000 - 4,500 | 5,000 - 8,000 | 10,000+ |
What a solid DR plan must contain
A credible DR plan is more than a backup: it is a tested, documented procedure with named owners. The restore test is the only way to prove the plan works.
| Component | Detail | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic backups | database + files + config | daily min. |
| Offsite backup | separate geographic site | continuous |
| Restore procedure | documented, step by step | up to date |
| Real restore test | verify RTO/RPO | twice yearly |
| Monitoring + alerts | uptime, disk, errors | real time |
| Named owners | who does what, contacts | yearly |
Mini case study
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Sarah, COO of an industrial SME in Singapore, gets 60 % of her leads from a site that receives quote requests. A 3-day outage last year lost around thirty prospects. She sets up a standard DR plan: setup 6,000 EUR + redundant hosting 200 EUR/month, RTO 4 h and RPO 6 h. Annual cost: 6,000 + 2,400 = 8,400 EUR the first year, then 2,400 EUR/year. If a single average quote is worth several thousand euros, one avoided incident pays for the whole setup.
FAQ
What is the difference between a backup and a DR plan? A backup copies data; a DR plan defines how to restart the service within a guaranteed time. A backup with no tested procedure is not enough.
How often should the DR plan be tested? At least every 6 months, with a real restore to check that the stated RTO and RPO are achievable.
Does a DR plan replace maintenance? No, they are complementary: maintenance prevents incidents, the DR plan handles them when they occur.
How long to set up a DR plan? Usually 2 to 4 weeks: criticality audit, backup configuration, redundancy and procedure writing.
Is cloud hosting enough? The cloud makes redundancy easier but is not a DR plan by itself. You still need defined RTO/RPO, offsite backups and restore testing.
Let's scope your project. A critical site to secure with a DR plan, backups and redundant hosting? Tell us your target RTO/RPO and the share of revenue involved. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
