RPO and RTO are two important parameters of a disaster recovery or data protection plan. RPO stands for Recovery Point Objective, which refers to the maximum length of time permitted that data can be restored from, which may or may not mean data loss. It is the age of the files or data in backup storage required to resume normal operations if a computer system or network failure occurs. RTO stands for Recovery Time Objective, which is the duration of time and a service level within which a business process must be restored after a disaster to avoid unacceptable consequences associated with a break in continuity. In other words, RTO is the answer to the question: “How much time did it take to recover after notification of business process disruption?” .

To summarize, RPO designates the variable amount of data that will be lost or will have to be re-entered during network downtime, while RTO designates the amount of “real time” that can pass before the business process must be restored after a disaster. These objectives can guide enterprises to choose an optimal cloud backup and disaster recovery plan, and they provide the basis for identifying, analyzing, and explaining viable strategies for inclusion in the business continuity plan.