Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) lets MSPs add a clear continuity service to their stack without building a second data centre.
2026 update: Client expectations have moved on since this post was first published. Ransomware and SaaS data loss sit alongside classic site failures as everyday DR scenarios, and many MSPs now want DRaaS packaged with clear RTO/RPO language, regular restore tests and Microsoft 365 / other SaaS backup (see SaaS backup) — not only server failover. The partner model below still applies: you own the client relationship; a specialist runs the recovery platform against an agreed SLA.
A DRaaS partner hosts and replicates physical or virtual servers so you can fail over when a client hits a serious incident — fire, flood, power loss, ransomware or other disruption.
If such an event occurs, the DRaaS provider is less likely than the MSP, or the client business itself, to suffer the direct and immediate impacts. They can implement the agreed disaster recovery plan to help get the affected business back up and running as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
While larger businesses have the in-house resource to subscribe to – and manage – a DRaaS platform, smaller enterprises may look to their MSP to handle this element of their IT continuity.
If this is the case, you may be wondering how you can offer DRaaS to your clients to add value to the service offering you provide.
What is DRaaS?
Just like software, platform and infrastructure vendors offer their solutions as a subscription service to businesses, firms can access disaster recovery services in the same way. With a DRaaS offering, you can provide your clients with an off-site DR capability that lets them avoid the cost of maintaining a secondary data centre. That model makes serious DR realistic for smaller firms that would never fund a full secondary site themselves. If you run an MSP, partnering with a specialist DR provider such as BCDR Solutions lets you offer DRaaS as a managed add-on under your brand. See also What is DRaaS and why is it important? Your own and your client’s requirements and expectations can be documented in an SLA, and your DRaaS partner will provide failover to a cloud environment on a contract or pay-per-use basis.How does DRaaS work?
In a managed DRaaS arrangement, the provider will offer its infrastructure to host or replicate the client’s DR site in the event of a business-critical scenario like the ones we listed above. When a ‘disaster’ is declared, either by the MSP or the business itself, the DRaaS provider will handle the replication of the client’s service to a private or public cloud platform so that they can operate as close to normal as possible. The DRaaS provider will also be responsible for the failover process and for transitioning users from the affected environment to its hosted service while the incident, whatever it may be, is resolved. Once normal operations have resumed at the primary business site, the DRaaS provider will transition users back to the primary servers and IT environment, so operations can continue as usual. For an MSP, managed DRaaS strengthens the client offer and can create a steadier recurring line without owning every piece of the DR stack. For your clients, it means you can provide a reliable disaster recovery solution to firms which lack the in-house resource and expertise to develop and implement their own DR plan. Giving your clients the ability to outsource the infrastructure needed to run their own DR site at a fraction of the cost of investing in their own is also a significant plus point. From an MSP perspective, it means you can round out your service offering by outsourcing a specialist area of IT to an expert provider. It can also create an additional revenue stream, with a specialist partner such as BCDR operating the DRaaS platform against an agreed SLA. Some of the other benefits of offering managed DRaaS include:- Eliminating the need to establish and equip a secondary data centre for DR purposes
- Removing the requirement for like-for-like duplication of storage hardware between the primary network and the DR site
- Enabling you to provide DR capabilities to SMEs that lack the in-house expertise to create an effective DR plan
- Freeing your own team up to focus on the core services your MSP is contracted to provide