Reference solutions/Reference architecture
Reference architecture

From backup policy to a recovery plan.

A reference approach that connects workload objectives, backup isolation, restore procedures and application validation in a documented recovery exercise.

The workload question

Recovery by design

Backups are being created, but the team needs evidence of what can be restored, who can restore it and how the application will be checked afterwards.

ILLUSTRATIVE DESIGN

Backup, high availability and disaster recovery solve different problems. Copy and restore capabilities vary by AWS service, resource and region; this pattern is not a recovery-time guarantee.

Related delivery service
AWS REFERENCE DESIGN
AWS BackupProtection policies
→
Backup vaultsScoped retention
ILLUSTRATIVE WORKLOAD ENVIRONMENT
Compute recoveryApproved environment
Database recoveryApplication validation
CloudWatchRecovery telemetry
Recovery exerciseMeasured validation
Protection policies, recovery-point access and a separately validated restore environment.
Illustrative relationships. Final configuration follows workload discovery.
Design decisions

The choices behind the components.

Architecture is a set of trade-offs. These are the questions to resolve before implementation.

01

Business objectives

Set a recovery point objective (acceptable data loss) and recovery time objective (restoration target) for each business service.

02

Failure scope

Distinguish a deleted record, account compromise, Availability Zone outage and regional event. Different risks need different patterns.

03

Isolation & access

Assess separate-account and cross-region copies where supported. Confirm that encryption keys, identity and network access survive the failure scenario.

04

Testing

Schedule restore exercises and record the full elapsed time, including data restoration, configuration and application validation.

Validation before handover

Test the assumptions.

The acceptance plan should check the behaviour of the full workload, alongside individual AWS resources.

  • Restore selected data without disrupting production.
  • Confirm authorised access to backup data and required encryption keys.
  • Record recovery evidence, gaps, accountable owners and the next exercise.

What a project adds

A workload-specific architecture, implementation plan, cost assumptions, operating runbooks and a record of agreed validation checks.

Your next step

Explore this pattern
for your workload.

Tell us about your workload, current challenges and timing. We’ll use that context to discuss a suitable scope.

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