Planning data protection before migration: How AWS Storage Assessments model backup and disaster recovery costs

This article explains how AWS Storage Assessment integrates data protection and disaster recovery cost modeling into migration planning using existing telemetry data.

• Models four protection services: AWS Backup, AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery, SnapMirror, and SnapVault from primary sizing data
• Protection costs modeled across four independent dimensions: retention depth, isolation level, geographic scope, and recovery granularity
• AWS Backup provides centralized policy-based protection for EBS, FSx, and EFS; SnapMirror/SnapVault offer NetApp-native options for FSx for ONTAP
• DR file systems sized proportionally with cost-optimized deployment, capacity pool storage, and throughput for replication streams only
• Protection appears as separate line items in business case, enabling scenario comparison without re-collecting data
• Real-world examples show NAS migration with SnapMirror ($67,229/month) and VMware migration with AWS Backup ($69,284/month)

Integrating protection planning from day one prevents post-migration budget surprises and provides stakeholders with complete total operational cost visibility.