In short: Acronis Disaster Recovery is a disaster recovery as a service add-on to Acronis Cyber Platform. It starts recovery servers in the Acronis cloud from your image-based backups, with runbooks, VPN access and isolated test failovers. It is billed monthly on DR storage, compute while recovery servers run and any public IP addresses.
What Acronis Disaster Recovery is
Acronis Disaster Recovery turns your backups into standby servers. You back up critical servers with Acronis, configure a recovery server for each one, and if your office, server room or hosting provider fails, you start those servers in Acronis data centres and carry on working. When your own environment is ready again, you fail back.
It is part of Acronis Cyber Platform (formerly Cyber Protect Cloud) and uses eligible image-based Acronis backups as its recovery points, so Acronis backup comes first. Because it shares the agent, console and backups with your day-to-day protection, you do not need a second site, a second set of hardware or a separate replication product.
What is included
| Capability | What it does |
|---|---|
| Recovery servers | Virtual machines started in the Acronis cloud from your chosen recovery point |
| Point-in-time failover | Choose which recovery point to fail over to, for example one from before a ransomware infection |
| Runbooks | Ordered steps and parallel actions with completion checks, to bring a whole system up in the right sequence; runbooks can run in test mode to find missing dependencies |
| Test failover | Start recovery servers in an isolated environment without interrupting production |
| Automated testing | Scheduled tests, weekly or monthly, that confirm recovery servers boot |
| RPO monitoring | Alerts when the latest recovery point is older than the threshold you set |
| Networking | Site-to-site VPN, point-to-site access for remote staff, multisite IPsec, DNS and network settings, and optional public IP addresses |
| Failback | Incremental failback that transfers changed data while the cloud workload keeps running |
| Recovery to Azure | Eligible workloads can be recovered into Microsoft Azure from backups held in Azure, the Acronis cloud or partner-hosted storage, creating compute only when it is needed |
Runbooks matter more than most buyers expect. A line-of-business application usually needs a domain controller, then a database, then an application server; a runbook starts them in order so staff can log in without an engineer stepping through each one.
How it is licensed
Disaster Recovery is usage-based and billed monthly. Charges are made up of:
| Element | What is charged |
|---|---|
| DR storage | Backup data held in the Acronis cloud for recovery |
| Compute | Resources used while recovery servers are running, including during tests |
| Public IP addresses | Only if you need them |
| Product licensing | The Acronis Disaster Recovery licence and the backup licence for each protected server |
Because tests consume compute too, the cost depends on how many servers you protect, how large they are and how often you test. Ask us for a quote and we will model it with a realistic testing schedule.
Requirements and deployment
Disaster Recovery protects Windows and Linux physical servers, virtual machines and cloud virtual machines, including VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V environments. It uses eligible image-based backups as recovery points, so the first step is usually putting server backups in place in the Acronis cloud.
Deployment is planned rather than switched on: we agree recovery objectives, map dependencies, size each recovery server, set up the VPN and write runbooks, then run a full test failover before we sign it off.
Who it suits
Disaster Recovery suits organisations that still run their own servers and could not tolerate several days without them: accountancy and legal practices with on-premises practice management systems, manufacturers with ERP servers, schools with management information systems on site, and any business whose insurer or customers ask for a tested recovery plan. If all your data is already in Microsoft 365, you need Microsoft 365 backup instead.
How we help
We design the recovery plan, build and test it, and repeat tests on a schedule so the plan keeps up with your servers. If disaster strikes, we help you invoke failover and manage failback. Compare other options in disaster recovery software.
How Forever Systems supplies your software licences
Forever Systems Ltd supplies business software subscriptions to UK organisations from one account, with one monthly invoice and a UK team who know the products.
- The right edition first time: we check what you need before you buy, so you are not paying for features you will never use
- Monthly or annual terms where the vendor offers them, and help timing renewals and commitments
- Licence changes handled for you: add or remove users, upgrade editions and true-up without starting a new contract
- Deployment and support from engineers who run these products every day, not just a reseller account
- Consolidated billing and renewal reminders so nothing lapses unexpectedly
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations of all sizes.
Need a licence quote or a second opinion on your renewal?
Tell Forever Systems what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
How is Acronis Disaster Recovery charged?
On DR storage, compute while recovery servers are running and any public IP addresses, plus the product licences for each protected server. Tests consume compute too, so we plan a testing schedule when quoting.
Can I test failover without affecting staff?
Yes. Test failover starts recovery servers in an isolated environment, so production keeps running. Acronis can also run scheduled tests, weekly or monthly, to confirm recovery servers boot.
Does Acronis Disaster Recovery work with Hyper-V and VMware?
Yes. It protects VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines as well as Windows and Linux physical servers and cloud virtual machines.
Where do recovered servers run?
In Acronis data centres, or in Microsoft Azure for eligible workloads. We choose a location that meets your data residency requirements when we set up your account.