Before you test recovery, see what could stop the restart
Copilot PRA is recovery-readiness software. Between tests, it helps spot configuration gaps between your production and recovery environments that could stop a restart.
Why recovery tests fail
Rarely for dramatic reasons. A firewall rule missing on the recovery site, an application still pointing at production, an expired certificate, a directory that has stopped replicating, a recovery IP address never declared to a partner. You find out on test day, the team is tied up, and the proof gets pushed back. Meanwhile, your infrastructure keeps changing.
What you get
- Gaps that could block recovery, spotted before test day rather than during it.
- Better-prepared recovery tests, with fewer surprises.
The features available, the supported technologies and the deliverables are presented to you before any proposal, based on your environment.
Where blockers hide
Four technical layers where a defect can prevent recovery:
| Layer | Examples of sensitive points | What a defect can cause |
|---|---|---|
| Network and security | Firewall and address translation rules, DNS, crisis VPN access, email records | Recovery services that can’t talk to each other, users sent to the stopped production site, staff without access |
| Infrastructure and storage | Virtual machine resources, disk space, storage type, last successful replication | A machine that won’t start, data loss beyond your objective |
| Identity and application security | Directory replication, critical roles, multi-factor sync, certificate expiry | Users and admins locked out, browsers refusing access |
| Data, software and dependencies | Hard-coded production addresses, connection strings, database logs, licences, third-party services | A recovery application writing to production, or not starting at all |
What Copilot PRA actually checks depends on the technologies in your environment and the access you authorise; we check this with you before any proposal.
Decisions stay with people
- Copilot PRA replaces neither a recovery test nor your team’s decisions.
- Fixes are decided and carried out by an authorised person: your team, your provider, or CERVOX if you choose.
- The access Copilot PRA needs, its level and the sources involved are agreed with you before setup.
Copilot PRA and a recovery test: two roles
| Copilot PRA | Recovery test (CERVOX Jour Zéro) | |
|---|---|---|
| Its role | Helps prepare recovery between tests | Verifies recovery |
| What it does | Analyses configurations to spot gaps that could block recovery | Restores within an authorised scope, measures recovery time, checks things work |
| What it shows | Gaps that could block recovery | What actually restarts, under the tested conditions |
| What it doesn’t show | That an environment will restart; the functional integrity of the data | Anything that wasn’t tested |
One doesn’t replace the other: Copilot PRA helps prepare your tests; only a test shows what actually restarts.
Discover CERVOX Jour ZéroConditions and limits
- A recovery environment is needed to compare production and recovery. If you only have backups, Copilot PRA is of more limited use, and we’ll tell you before any proposal.
- Copilot PRA only analyses what it can access, and can make wrong assumptions when a configuration is ambiguous.
- Copilot PRA does not guarantee recovery, the absence of defects, compliance with a standard, or lower insurance premiums.
FAQ
Is this a monitoring tool?
No. It doesn’t check whether a server is up; it looks for what would stop your recovery environment from taking over.
Do we need a Jour Zéro test first?
Not necessarily. If you have a recovery environment and your technologies are supported, you can start with Copilot PRA. An initial test does give you the strongest baseline.
We only have backups. Is it useful?
Useful but narrower: without a recovery environment, production–recovery comparison isn’t possible. A Jour Zéro test is often the best starting point.
Which technologies are supported?
We check this with you before any proposal, based on the technologies in your environment.
Is your environment supported?
Before any proposal, we check that your technologies are supported and that Copilot PRA will bring you real value.