Seamless Low-Cost, Low-Maintenance DR Orchestration with Azure

Abstract

As more organizations move their systems to the cloud, keeping important applications running during unexpected disruptions has become very important. Traditional disaster recovery (DR) methods can protect these systems, but they are often expensive and hard to manage. This study introduces a simpler, more affordable, and low-maintenance DR solution using built-in tools from Microsoft Azure. By using Azure Site Recovery, Azure Automation, and Terraform, the solution was designed to automatically take care of replication, failover, and failback. It was tested in real-world scenarios to check how well it works during outages. Results showed faster recovery times, minimal manual effort, and significant cost savings—over 60% compared to older DR methods. With smart use of automation and cost controls like resource scaling and storage optimization, the solution proved easy to maintain and effective in keeping services running. Overall, the Azure-based DR model offers a simple yet powerful way for organizations to protect their operations without expensive tools or adding extra workload to IT teams. In addition to streamlining recovery operations, the solution enables seamless, automated DR testing without impacting production environments—ensuring ongoing readiness, compliance, and confidence in recovery processes.