--- title: "Mission-critical systems: redundancy, RTO, and RPO | WIP" description: "Redundancy, disaster recovery, RTO and RPO set in the contract, incident response under an SLA, and contingency testing." url: https://workinprogress.company/services/mission-critical updated: 2026-10-27 lang: en --- WIP Mission Critical · Monthly contract # Availability and recovery with targets set in the contract WIP Mission Critical is for applications with demanding availability and recovery requirements. We design redundancy and disaster recovery, set RTO and RPO targets in the contract, monitor and respond to incidents under the SLA, and run contingency tests and security reviews. 24/7 support is available only when it's contracted and the operational structure can sustain it. quoted after assessment Updated on October 27, 2026 ![Two mirrored, synchronized server clusters, with a switch ready to move traffic from one to the other.](https://workinprogress.company/_astro/servico-mission-critical.Dpf6OFW2_Z17kbjW.png) ## How do you set RTO and RPO for your system? RTO and RPO come from a business conversation, not a technical choice: how long the system can be down and how much data can be lost without unacceptable harm. The architecture comes afterward, to support those targets. - **RTO (Recovery Time Objective):** the maximum time for the system to be back up after a failure. - **RPO (Recovery Point Objective):** the maximum amount of data you accept losing, measured in time. An RPO of one hour means that, in the worst case, the records from the last hour are lost. Questions like these help set the targets: - How much does each hour of downtime cost, in sales, contractual penalties, or interrupted operations? - Which data is impossible to recreate, and which can be recovered from another source? - Are there contractual or regulatory availability obligations? - Does the whole system need to come back at once, or can some functions come back before others? More demanding targets cost more: an RPO close to zero requires continuous data replication, and a short RTO requires an environment ready to take over. That’s why targets can vary by function and by system, and they only go into the contract after being validated through architecture and testing. ## What is a contingency test? A contingency test, also known as a disaster recovery test, is a controlled simulation of a failure to check whether the system recovers the way the plan says it will. It turns the disaster recovery plan from a document into a demonstrated capability. In WIP Mission Critical, the tests are planned and periodic. Examples of what can be simulated: - loss of the application’s primary server or zone; - failure of the primary database, with promotion of the replica; - a full restore from backup, in a separate environment; - loss of an external service the system depends on; - absence of a key person, to check whether the procedures are documented. Each test measures the actual recovery time and the actual data loss and compares them with the RTO and RPO in the contract. The result becomes a record: what worked, what took longer than expected, and what needs to change. When a test shows a gap between the plan and reality, the gap is fixed and tested again. That’s why WIP only commits to recovery targets in a contract when there’s a validated architecture and testing to back them up: the promise has to have been demonstrated first. ## Why does 24/7 support depend on an assessment? Because real 24/7 support requires people on call, documented procedures, alerting tools that reach them, and access ready at any hour. WIP only offers this support when it’s contracted and when the operational structure can sustain it. Promising a response at any hour without that structure would be selling a guarantee that doesn’t exist. An incident at three in the morning would meet an unanswered phone or a person without access, and the contract would have been worth nothing. The technical assessment considers: - **Criticality:** what happens to the business if the system goes down outside business hours. - **Architecture:** how much of the recovery is automatic and how much requires human intervention. - **Procedures:** whether each type of incident has a tested response procedure. - **Access:** whether the person on call has secure access to the systems, with the minimum permissions needed. - **On-call rotation:** whether there are enough people to cover the hours without relying on just one. Based on that, each contract’s SLA defines the support hours, response times by severity, and contact channels. In some cases, extended hours with continuous monitoring cover the risk at a lower cost, and the assessment may also recommend that path. ## What does WIP Mission Critical deliver? - Redundancy architecture and a disaster recovery plan. - Recovery objectives (RTO and RPO) set in the contract. - Monitoring and incident response under the contracted SLA. - Periodic contingency tests and security reviews. ## Who is WIP Mission Critical for? - Applications where downtime causes financial loss or significant operational risk. - Businesses with contractual or regulatory obligations for availability and recovery. - Systems that need incident response outside business hours. ## What is not included in WIP Mission Critical? - Any promise of absolute availability or guaranteed recovery without a validated architecture and tests to back it up. - 24/7 support without a specific contract and an operational structure to sustain it. - Costs of redundant infrastructure, licenses, and third-party services. ## How much does WIP Mission Critical cost? WIP Mission Critical is quoted after a technical assessment. The price depends on the architecture, the RTO and RPO targets, the SLA, and the support hours. Infrastructure, licenses, and third-party services are paid for separately. ## Frequently asked questions about WIP Mission Critical ### What are RTO and RPO? RTO (Recovery Time Objective) is the maximum acceptable time for the system to be back up after a failure. RPO (Recovery Point Objective) is the maximum amount of data you accept losing, measured in time. In WIP Mission Critical, both are set in the contract and backed by architecture and testing. ### Does WIP guarantee the system will never go down? No. No system has absolute availability, and promising that would be dishonest. The contract sets measurable targets, backed by a validated architecture, monitoring, and contingency tests. ### Is support available 24/7? It can be, when it's contracted and the operational structure can sustain it. Support hours, response times by severity, and contact channels are defined in each contract's SLA. ### How much does a mission-critical support contract cost? The price comes from a technical assessment, because it depends on the architecture, the RTO and RPO targets, the SLA, and the support hours. Redundant infrastructure, licenses, and third-party services are listed separately from WIP's fees. ### How do you know the recovery will actually work? Through periodic contingency tests. Failures are simulated under controlled conditions, and the actual recovery time is measured and compared with the RTO and RPO in the contract. When a test reveals a gap, it's fixed and tested again. ## Related services Managed operations ### [WIP Managed](https://workinprogress.company/services/managed-operations) Your systems run the business, but nobody is there to oversee them, plan ahead, and make changes safely. starting at US$ 470 per month Preparing for growth ### [WIP Scale](https://workinprogress.company/services/scale-readiness) A campaign, a big client, or a launch is coming, and you don't know if your system can handle it. quoted after assessment Technical diagnosis ### [WIP Check](https://workinprogress.company/services/technical-diagnosis) You don't know if your system is secure, if your backups work, or where to start improving it. starting at US$ 150 ## Start with a diagnosis Before investing in changes, understand the risks, bottlenecks and waste in your system. WIP Check delivers an executive report and a prioritized action plan. [Request a technical diagnosis](https://workinprogress.company/diagnosis)