High availability is a design approach that helps a system meet a prearranged level of operational performance over a specific period. Highly available systems provide customers with a reliable, high-performing environment that meets or exceeds their business requirements for service delivery.
Organizations implement ArcGIS in a highly available configuration to prevent data loss and work interruptions. There is no one-size-fits-all, it is important to strike a balance between the desired level of availability and the associated costs. Organizations should consider their budgetary constraints, risk appetite, and the criticality of the ArcGIS system to make informed decisions about the appropriate level of highly availability to implement. This can be a formal contract (like a Service Level Agreement) or an informal service level expectation. Next, weigh the costs associated with increasing availability, and focus on capturing the actual business needs of the system.
Recommendations
To implement a high-availability design for ArcGIS:
Create backups of your ArcGIS deployment regularly.
Creating backups of your ArcGIS deployment is the easiest way to avoid data loss and reduce downtime. This allows you to recover items that existed at the time the backup was created, and significantly reduces the time to operation.
Refer to ArcGIS documentation on duplication and redundancy to reduce single points of failure.
Implement multiple instances of specific system components, potentially including geographic redundancy, to reduce single points of failure. Consider the skills required to maintain the system as well – a person can also be a single point of failure.
Test and monitor the system regularly to assure that it can meet performance requirements.
Evaluate the system’s ability to meet the needed service level by testing stress, performance, and failover functions. All testing plans and associated activities should be part of your overall system governance. Continually monitor the system to correct problems before they cause a widespread or unrecoverable outrage.
GeoBusiness connects ArcGIS with Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle NetSuite, and other enterprise systems.
GeoBusiness is an Esri ArcGIS Location Intelligence Platform with real-time mapping, visualization, and geo-analytics. GeoBusiness enables organizations to monitor operations, share data, and create actionable intelligence through Location Intelligence technology.
GeoBusiness is Software as a service (SaaS) offering.
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Our team of geospatial IT and cloud certified professionals help organizations unlock and enable GIS technology. With over 200 years of combined technical expertise, GCS converts your ideas into reality through customer-driven, innovative applications. GCS customers gain strategic value through increased productivity, efficiency and profitability, optimizing mission-critical business processes.
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