Managing the data recovery process effectively is a crucial factor for ensuring a rapid return to operational conditions. Good data recovery management applies to all data types, from recovering a single corrupt mailbox or replacing an accidentally deleted file to restoring an entire business-critical database.

Recovery management is a set of processes and integrated technologies that meet the requirement to manage data recovery and to ensure a speedy resumption of IT services. Effective recovery management unites many related areas, including business continuity, availability, and disaster recovery.

Effective recovery management provides multiple business benefits that meet the challenges that were outlined in the Challenges section of this paper. These benefits include:

• Increasing control over the backup and restore process
• Simplifying the data recovery process
• Increasing security
• Reducing recovery times
• Minimizing the cost of data loss
• Providing automated recovery testing