{"id":32714,"date":"2026-10-07T18:12:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T16:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eu.wedoback.com\/?page_id=32714"},"modified":"2026-10-07T18:38:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T16:38:01","slug":"how-to-set-your-rpo","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eu.wedoback.com\/en\/guides\/drp-bcp\/how-to-set-your-rpo\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you determine your RPO?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"32714\" class=\"elementor elementor-32714 elementor-31905\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d76a829 e-con-full wdb-g e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d76a829\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c248463 e-con-full wdb-g-hero e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c248463\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-deedaa2 e-con-full wdb-g-hero-in e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"deedaa2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8298a07 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8298a07\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wdb-g-crumb\"><a href=\"\/en\/\">Home<\/a><span>\u203a<\/span><a href=\"\/en\/guides\/\">Guides<\/a><span>\u203a<\/span><a href=\"\/en\/guides\/drp-bcp\/\">DRP and BCP<\/a><\/p><p class=\"wdb-g-pill\" style=\"--pill:#2fc7a0\">DRP and BCP<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ed03736 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ed03736\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How do you determine your RPO?<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f26b08 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2f26b08\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wdb-g-lead\">You determine an RPO by asking, for each activity: \u201cif we lost everything entered over the last X hours, what would have to be redone, and what would it cost?\u201d The largest value of X that is still acceptable is the RPO. You then configure the backup so that the interval between two successful copies is shorter than this X.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73e815b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73e815b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wdb-g-meta\"><span>Updated <b>October 2026<\/b><\/span><span><b>3 min<\/b> read<\/span><span><b>4<\/b> sources cited<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ecb6c4a e-con-full wdb-g-body e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ecb6c4a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-141b9e6 e-con-full wdb-g-grid e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"141b9e6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45aed74 e-con-full wdb-g-article e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"45aed74\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-996d961 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"996d961\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wdb-g-key\"><h2>Key points<\/h2><ul><li>Ask the question <strong>to the users<\/strong> of each tool, not just to the IT person.<\/li><li>Three criteria: how fast the data changes, whether it can be rebuilt, and the cost of losing it.<\/li><li>An RPO of 24 hours assumes a morning alert: <strong>two failures in a row, and the actual RPO becomes 48 hours<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Below one hour, plan for replication or database logs, <strong>and<\/strong> a history to protect against ransomware.<\/li><li>The depth of history (30 days, one year) is a setting separate from the RPO.<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-609950e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"609950e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>The method in a single meeting<\/h2><p>NIST, the US standards body, calls this exercise a <strong>business impact analysis<\/strong> (BIA): identifying processes, measuring the consequences of an interruption, then setting recovery priorities. For an SME, one meeting is enough. For each vital tool, ask three questions to the people who use it, not just to the IT person.<\/p><ol><li><strong>How fast does the data change?<\/strong> One write per minute, per hour, per week?<\/li><li><strong>Can it be rebuilt?<\/strong> An email received from outside, no. An invoice whose copy is still on the customer&#8217;s desk, partly. A record of workshop production, no.<\/li><li><strong>After how much lost time does the cost become unacceptable?<\/strong> Cost of re-entry, orders to be placed again, files to be reopened from memory.<\/li><\/ol><p>Write the answer down in hours. Common examples in SMEs:<\/p><table><thead><tr><th>Activity<\/th><th>Often reasonable RPO<\/th><th>Why<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Rarely modified office files<\/td><td>24 h<\/td><td>The loss of a day is noticed and can be redone<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>ERP or quoting software used throughout the day<\/td><td>1 to 4 h<\/td><td>A lost day of quotes cannot be reconstructed<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Email<\/td><td>1 to 8 h<\/td><td>Incoming messages cannot be re-entered<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Accounting<\/td><td>24 h, plus separate long-term archiving<\/td><td>A day can be redone; the financial year, for its part, is archived<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Point-of-sale database<\/td><td>Minutes to 1 h<\/td><td>Cash received must remain traceable<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p>This table is not a standard. It is a starting point to challenge or confirm with operational staff.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c4a263 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6c4a263\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Translating the RPO into a frequency<\/h2><ul><li>RPO 24 h: one successful backup per day, and a morning alert if it failed. If it fails two nights in a row, the actual RPO becomes 48 h. Monitoring is part of the RPO.<\/li><li>RPO 4 h: at least one copy every four hours during business hours.<\/li><li>RPO under one hour: replication or very frequent copies, and a separate discussion about ransomware, because the most recent copy may already be bad. ANSSI, France&#8217;s national cybersecurity agency, also recommends considering replication in addition to backup when the tolerable loss is under 24 hours.<\/li><\/ul><p>For a database, the frequency is not set by full backups alone. Microsoft states that in the full recovery model, frequent transaction log backups make it possible to restore to a specific point in time. This is often the most cost-effective way to achieve an RPO of a few minutes on business software.<\/p><p>Also plan for depth: being able to go back 30 days does not change the RPO (which is about freshness), but it saves you when the latest copies are corrupted. ANSSI cites, for example, 15 days of daily backups, one year of monthly backups and five years of annual backups. The two settings coexist.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d073c0c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d073c0c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Checking that the RPO holds<\/h2><p>An RPO is checked in the console, not in the contract:<\/p><ul><li>the time of the last <strong>successful<\/strong> copy of each server, every morning;<\/li><li>the duration of the jobs: a backup that takes five hours cannot run every four hours;<\/li><li>the volume of changes sent compared with the site&#8217;s upload bandwidth;<\/li><li>a restore test, at least on one file, to prove that the copy is readable. See <a href=\"\/en\/guides\/backup\/how-to-test-a-backup\/\">How do you test that a backup works?<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-228a946 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"228a946\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Mistakes<\/h2><ul><li>Letting the software vendor announce the RPO (\u201creal-time backup\u201d) without looking at the actual interval between jobs.<\/li><li>A single RPO for the whole company, based on the most active application, which means paying for the maximum level for static files.<\/li><li>Forgetting that the RPO of cloud email is that of <strong>your<\/strong> copy, not that of the vendor&#8217;s recycle bin.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a9487f7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a9487f7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wdb-g-brand\"><h2>At WeDoBack<\/h2><p>The frequency is set in the console: the RPO depends on this choice by the customer. The subscribed volume must be able to absorb this frequency, because more closely spaced copies retain more changes. The published rule of thumb for getting started is the current volume multiplied by three, to be adjusted after a week of use. WeDoBack does not impose an RPO. If the customer&#8217;s connection cannot send the changes within the chosen interval, the actual RPO will be longer than the displayed RPO: this is a physical constraint, to be measured in the first month, not a detail. Backup monitoring runs 24\/7; human support is available from 9 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 5:30 pm (Paris time). Prices for the <a href=\"\/en\/smart-offer\/\">SMART<\/a> and <a href=\"\/en\/integral-offer\/\">INTEGRAL<\/a> offers are detailed on the <a href=\"\/en\/offers-and-prices\/\">offers and prices<\/a> page.<\/p><div class=\"wdb-g-btns\"><a class=\"wdb-g-btn wdb-g-btn-primary\" href=\"\/en\/offers-and-prices\/\">View offers and prices<\/a><a class=\"wdb-g-btn wdb-g-btn-ghost\" href=\"\/en\/quotation\/\">Request a quote<\/a><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f4f45e7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f4f45e7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wdb-g-faq\"><h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2><details><summary>Who should set the RPO, management or IT?<\/summary><p>Management and business managers, because the RPO is an economic choice: how much lost work the company accepts. IT then translates this choice into a backup frequency and flags what is technically impossible with the available bandwidth or budget.<\/p><\/details><details><summary>Should all servers have the same RPO?<\/summary><p>No. A single RPO, based on the most active application, means paying for the maximum level for files that rarely change. One line per activity, with its own frequency, is more accurate and often cheaper.<\/p><\/details><details><summary>Is the RPO for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace the vendor&#8217;s?<\/summary><p>No. The vendor&#8217;s recycle bins and retention are not a copy under your control. The RPO of your email is that of your own backup: its frequency and its last successful run.<\/p><\/details><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c6bef41 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c6bef41\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Further reading<\/h2><div class=\"wdb-g-related\"><a href=\"\/en\/guides\/drp-bcp\/what-is-an-rpo\/\"><small>DRP and BCP<\/small>What is an RPO?<\/a><a href=\"\/en\/guides\/drp-bcp\/how-to-set-your-rto\/\"><small>DRP and BCP<\/small>How do you determine your RTO?<\/a><a href=\"\/en\/guides\/backup\/backup-strategy-for-an-sme\/\"><small>IT backup<\/small>What backup strategy for an SME?<\/a><a href=\"\/en\/guides\/drp-bcp\/building-a-drp-for-an-sme\/\"><small>DRP and BCP<\/small>How do you build a DRP for an SME?<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c55709a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c55709a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wdb-g-sources\"><h2>Sources<\/h2><p class=\"wdb-g-src-date\">Documents consulted in October 2026.<\/p><ol><li><a href=\"https:\/\/nvlpubs.nist.gov\/nistpubs\/legacy\/sp\/nistspecialpublication800-34r1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SP 800-34 Rev. 1, Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems<\/a> \u2014 NIST<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/messervices.cyber.gouv.fr\/documents-guides\/anssi_fondamentaux_sauvegarde_systemes_dinformation_v1.1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backing up information systems \u2013 The fundamentals (ANSSI-BP-100, v1.1, 27 November 2025)<\/a> \u2014 ANSSI (French agency)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/learn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/sql\/relational-databases\/backup-restore\/back-up-and-restore-of-sql-server-databases?view=sql-server-ver17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Back up and Restore of SQL Server Databases<\/a> \u2014 Microsoft Learn<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wedoback.com\/offres-et-tarifs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Offsite backup offers and prices<\/a> \u2014 WeDoBack<\/li><\/ol><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2268727 e-con-full wdb-g-aside e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2268727\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-914d768 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"914d768\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<nav class=\"wdb-g-toc\" aria-label=\"Table of contents\"><p>On this page<\/p><ol><\/ol><\/nav>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c700a8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7c700a8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wdb-g-card\"><h3>Planning a backup, DRP or BCP project?<\/h3><p>More than 20 years of experience protecting business data.<\/p><a class=\"wdb-g-btn wdb-g-btn-primary\" href=\"\/en\/quotation\/\">Request a quote<\/a><a class=\"wdb-g-tel\" href=\"tel:+33972507828\">+33 9 72 50 78 28<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-944c8db e-con-full wdb-g-cta e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"944c8db\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0bf6ca5 e-con-full wdb-g-cta-in e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"0bf6ca5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3e1825b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3e1825b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Protect your data with WeDoBack<\/h2><p>Encrypted offsite backup, immutable storage, DRP and BCP: tell us about your servers and we will recommend the right combination.<\/p><div class=\"wdb-g-btns\"><a class=\"wdb-g-btn wdb-g-btn-primary\" href=\"\/en\/quotation\/\">Request a quote<\/a><a class=\"wdb-g-btn wdb-g-btn-ghost\" href=\"\/en\/offers-and-prices\/\">See offers and prices<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":32687,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"How to determine your RPO: method and examples | WeDoBack","_seopress_titles_desc":"Determine your RPO by costing what it takes to redo N hours of work, then choosing the backup frequency that this cost 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