When disaster strikes

Miguel Berniz, Head of Technology at Gibfibre, on why disaster recovery is so important, what a solid strategy looks like and how it can actually give operators the edge over their rivals

Online gambling businesses are acutely aware of the importance of disaster recovery and ensuring that it’s business as usual in the event disaster does indeed strike.

Even the shortest outage can do untold damage to the organisation, with the impact going beyond just financial loss to include the erosion of customer trust and even legal implications.

That online gambling businesses run 27/7/365 makes them even more exposed and vulnerable to potential disaster, and this is why many in the industry invest heavily in disaster recovery solutions.

But there is always scope to do more, especially as the threat landscape changes and evolves, and to optimise the infrastructure, systems and protocols already in place.

Before getting into what the ideal disaster recovery setup looks like, let’s first dig into why it’s such an important component of an operator’s infrastructure mix.

Continuous service is non-negotiable:

For an online sportsbook or casino, continuous service is a must. This is certainly the case for companies that are active in multiple markets around the world.

Data loss can also hurt the business, compromising operational integrity and preventing teams from being able to use insights to make critical decisions in real-time.

Compliance is another major concern and not just in terms of responsible gambling but also around data protection and privacy laws.

Having a robust disaster recovery plan and the right infrastructure in place helps to prevent these issues and also ensure continuous service in several ways.

The first is operational continuity. This allows systems to recover quickly from disruptions, whether that be due to hardware failures, cyberattacks or natural disasters.

The next is data integrity. With real-time data replication and regular back-ups, operators can minimise data loss while strengthening compliance with regulatory requirements.

A little less obvious, perhaps, but disaster recovery helps to improve customer trust and ensure revenue protection.

Reduced downtime means that customers remain engaged with the sportsbook or casino and, in the event of disaster, with revenue streams protected so they can keep flowing.

What a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy includes:

The blueprint for disaster recovery will differ from organisation to organisation, but there are aspects and core elements that must be included.

It starts with undertaking a risk assessment. This is to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities specific to the business environment.

Next is RTO and RPO. Organisations need to clearly define recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO) to set acceptable downtime and data loss limits.

Downtime is going to happen, but the business needs to set parameters within which this can be tolerated so the impact on the consumer is minimal.

Redundancy and geographic diversity also need to be considered. We always suggest employing multi-layered redundancy with diverse data centres to avoid single points of failure.

Regular testing and updates are non-negotiable. Organisations need to keep putting the disaster recovery plan through its paces to ensure its effectiveness.

They also need to make sure that everything is up to date, especially following major changes to technologies or indeed the wider business.

Cybersecurity is a primary concern for online gambling businesses and plays a critical role in disaster recovery. Organisations must integrate strong, proactive protocols to mitigate the risk of attacks.

Finally, the disaster recovery plan needs to allow for scalability and flexibility. We encourage organisations to design the system to adapt quickly to unexpected spikes or shifts in demand.

Putting the foundations in for effective disaster recovery:

Armed with a plan, organisations then need to deploy the right infrastructure, and this includes things like automated backups and real-time replication.

This ensures that data is continuously mirrored to backup systems which in turn reduces the risk of data loss should an issue occur.

This should be combined with secure, rapid failover mechanisms to enable a quick transition to standby systems in the case of a disruption.

Redundant connectivity is another must-have.

With multiple, convergent and diverse links (like GPON, IP Transit, local/international ethernet circuits), operators can ensure an uninterrupted service at all times.

Companies also need to decide where they want to locate their disaster recovery infrastructure, with Gibraltar a favoured destination for many.

Why? Because of its strategic geographical position serving as a vital gateway between Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

It also provides a stable environment with the region at relatively low risk of being struck by a natural disaster. It also offers robust connectivity.

Gibfibre, for example, leverages local privately owned infrastructure to provide a state-of-the-art data centre facility and multiple, resilient connectivity options.

Gain an edge over your rivals:

By getting disaster recovery right, online gambling businesses can actually gain an advantage over their rivals.

Enhanced reliability and near continuous service availability is a strong differentiator in what is a highly competitive market.

Increased customer confidence, especially when it comes to data protection, is highly valuable in an industry where there can be trust issues between consumers and the brands they play at.

What’s more, rapid recovery capabilities can reduce the impact of unexpected events to maintain competitive momentum.

In today’s world, it’s very much a case of when disaster will strike, not if. This means organisations must be ready and that’s why disaster recovery must be a priority.