{"id":31761,"date":"2026-10-07T11:53:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T09:53:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mu.wedoback.com\/?page_id=31761"},"modified":"2026-10-07T12:22:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T10:22:26","slug":"how-to-set-your-rpo","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mu.wedoback.com\/en\/guides\/drp-bcp\/how-to-set-your-rpo\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you set your RPO?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"31761\" class=\"elementor elementor-31761 elementor-31536\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d54a960 e-con-full wdb-g e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d54a960\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-856177c e-con-full wdb-g-hero e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"856177c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-25e95a1 e-con-full wdb-g-hero-in e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"25e95a1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-675d7c2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"675d7c2\" 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-433e89d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"433e89d\" 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 set 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-d57940a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d57940a\" 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 set an RPO by asking, for each activity: &#8220;if we lost everything entered in the last X hours, what would have to be redone, and how much would it cost?&#8221; 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 that 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-d98be46 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d98be46\" 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-7b7fbe3 e-con-full wdb-g-body e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7b7fbe3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-80f478b e-con-full wdb-g-grid e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"80f478b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-433f1b1 e-con-full wdb-g-article e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"433f1b1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-635f196 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"635f196\" 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 <strong>the users<\/strong> of each tool, not just the IT person.<\/li><li>Three criteria: how fast the data changes, whether it can be rebuilt, the cost of losing it.<\/li><li>A 24-hour RPO 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 that protects 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-3e9f9a9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3e9f9a9\" 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 one meeting<\/h2><p>NIST calls this exercise a <strong>business impact analysis<\/strong> (BIA): identify the processes, measure the consequences of an interruption, then set recovery priorities. For an SME, one meeting is enough. For each vital tool, ask three questions to the people who use it, not just the IT person.<\/p><ol><li><strong>How fast does the data change?<\/strong> One entry 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 workshop production entry, 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>Losing a day is noticeable and can be redone<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>ERP or quoting software used all 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>The day can be redone; the financial year 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-1707d34 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1707d34\" 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 an alert in the morning 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 below one hour: replication or very frequent copies, and a separate discussion about ransomware, because the freshest 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 below 24 hours.<\/li><\/ul><p>For a database, 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 precise point in time. This is often the most economical way to achieve an RPO of a few minutes on business software.<\/p><p>Also plan the depth: being able to go back 30 days does not change the RPO (which is about freshness), but it saves the day when the latest copies are corrupted. ANSSI gives as an example 15 days of daily backups, one year of monthly backups and five years of yearly 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-4378fe8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4378fe8\" 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 is met<\/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-661d545 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"661d545\" 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 (&#8220;real-time backup&#8221;) without looking at the actual interval between jobs.<\/li><li>A single RPO for the whole company, set to match the most talkative application, which means paying 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-c0eb188 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c0eb188\" 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 absorb this frequency, because closer copies retain more changes. The published rule of thumb to get 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 link 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, i.e. from 11 am to 3 pm and from 4 pm to 7:30 pm Mauritius time during European summer time, one hour later during European winter 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\/\">See 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-550703f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"550703f\" 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 that choice into a backup frequency, and flags what is technically impossible with the available bandwidth or budget.<\/p><\/details><details><summary>Do all servers need the same RPO?<\/summary><p>No. A single RPO, set to match the most active application, means paying 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 you control. The RPO of your email is that of your own backup: its frequency and its last success.<\/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-28dca7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"28dca7f\" 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 set 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-b8ec27f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b8ec27f\" 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\">Information system backup \u2013 The fundamentals (ANSSI-BP-100, v1.1, 27 November 2025, in French)<\/a> \u2014 ANSSI<\/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\">Managed off-site 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-e60649c e-con-full wdb-g-aside e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e60649c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8a90af1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8a90af1\" 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-47a3ee3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"47a3ee3\" 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-e436fb8 e-con-full wdb-g-cta e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e436fb8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-56dc96d e-con-full wdb-g-cta-in e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"56dc96d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-866d98f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"866d98f\" 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":31722,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"How to set your RPO: method and examples | WeDoBack","_seopress_titles_desc":"You set the RPO by costing what it takes to redo N hours of work, then choosing the copy frequency that this cost 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