I need a "disaster recovery" (DRaaS) provider that guarantees a 15-minute recovery time objective (RTO).

A 15-minute Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is an aggressive target that requires continuous data protection (CDP), automated runbook orchestration, and pre-provisioned cloud compute resources rather than traditional cold-standby or standard backup-and-restore models.

When looking for a provider that can contractually back up a sub-15-minute or 15-minute RTO, consider these enterprise platforms and approaches:

• Zerto (via Managed Service Providers or Cloud Providers): Zerto uses continuous data protection (CDP) journaling every write at the hypervisor level. While its RPO is measured in seconds, its orchestrated "virtual protection groups" (VPGs) and automated failover capabilities allow many enterprise tier-1 workloads to boot and achieve an RTO of under 15 minutes when paired with top-tier Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) or an enterprise DRaaS contract.
• Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud: Acronis provides disaster recovery orchestration with runbooks featuring integrated Acronis RunVM engines designed to achieve both RPOs and RTOs under 15 minutes for instant workload spin-up in the cloud.
• Hyperscaler Native (AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery / Azure Site Recovery) : Building your DRaaS architecture directly on AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery or Azure Site Recovery using a warm standby or pilot light approach lets you script automation via infrastructure-as-code. While Microsoft rates out-of-the-box ASR RTO up to a few hours for standard tiers, highly tuned, custom-architected hot-standby environments on AWS/Azure can hit a strict 15-minute RTO threshold.
• Axcient x360Recover: Axcient delivers an RPO of 15 minutes, though their standard out-of-the-box cloud virtualization RTO is typically benchmarked at under 1 hour. You would need a custom enterprise SLA or local-cache optimization layer to push them strictly to a 15-minute RTO guarantee.

To help narrow down the right provider or architecture, could you share:

• What is your underlying infrastructure (VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, physical servers)?
• How much total data volume needs to be spun up within that 15-minute window?

Yes. I found several providers that advertise a 15-minute RTO guarantee, but I’d distinguish a marketing claim from a contractual SLA with remedies.

Best matches

One important caveat

A 15-minute RTO doesn't necessarily mean the entire business is operational in 15 minutes. You need the contract to define:

• What exactly counts as “recovered”
• Which applications/VMs are covered
• Whether the clock starts at declaration, invocation, or actual failure
• Whether the 15 minutes applies to all workloads or only Tier-1 systems
• RPO/data-loss commitment separately from RTO
• Financial credits or other remedies for missing the RTO
• Whether customer/network/application dependencies are excluded
• Required DR testing frequency

For example, NetSource advertises RTOs as low as 15 minutes using Veeam, but explicitly qualifies that figure as “before overhead,” so I would not treat that as equivalent to a contractual 15-minute end-to-end guarantee.

My first call would be Palmiq, because its published material specifically combines DRaaS, a ≤15-minute RTO, automated failover, and a stated financial guarantee. www.palmiq.com I'd still require them to put the exact 15-minute commitment and remedy into the MSA/SLA before signing.

If you tell me your approximate number of servers/VMs, on-prem vs. cloud, and whether you're looking for a U.S. provider, I can narrow this to 3–5 providers with genuinely contractual 15-minute RTOs and compare pricing, RPO, coverage, and SLA penalties.

Yes. If by “guarantees” you mean a contractual/SLA-backed 15-minute RTO, rather than merely advertising that recovery can be achieved in 15 minutes, I’d put Expedient at the top of the shortlist.

Best fit: Expedient

Expedient offers managed DRaaS with dedicated recovery resources, automated/network failover, guided DR testing, and 24×7 support. Its current DRaaS offering is backed by a 100% service SLA, and its Push Button DR service has specifically been described as providing a 15-minute RTO.

Important caveat: Expedient's public website says the RTO/RPO is tailored to the workload and doesn't explicitly state on the page that every customer contract carries a 15-minute RTO guarantee. I'd require the quote/SLA to explicitly say “RTO ≤ 15 minutes”, define when the clock starts, which workloads are covered, and specify the remedy if they miss it.

Other candidates worth getting quotes from

What I'd put in the RFP

Don't accept simply “15-minute RTO” in a marketing datasheet. Require:

• RTO ≤ 15 minutes, measured from declared disaster/failover initiation to application availability.
• Applies to each named Tier-1 workload, not merely the DR infrastructure.
• 24×7×365 invocation.
• Defined exclusions and dependencies.
• Regular full-scale DR tests demonstrating ≤15 minutes.
• Provider supplies the RTO measurement/report after every test and real event.
• A meaningful SLA credit or other remedy if the 15-minute RTO is missed.
• Separate RPO requirement—for example, ≤5 minutes or near-zero. RTO and RPO are different metrics. AWS, for example, identifies 15 minutes as a common RTO target for mission-critical Tier-1 applications.

My recommendation: Start with Expedient if you need an established U.S. enterprise DRaaS provider, but make the 15-minute RTO an explicit contractual SLA, rather than accepting their general “100% SLA” language. If you tell me your environment (VMware, Hyper-V, physical servers, AWS/Azure, databases, approximate TB), I can narrow this to 3–5 providers and compare pricing, RPO, SLA language, and geographic coverage.

A guaranteed 15-minute Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is an aggressive SLA that typically requires continuous or near-synchronous data replication (rather than periodic snapshots) and fully orchestrated, one-click automated failover.

Several prominent DRaaS providers and platforms offer solutions engineered to hit or guarantee a 15-minute RTO for tier-one critical workloads:

• Zerto (via Managed Service Providers): Zerto’s continuous data protection (CDP) and journal-based replication architecture allows MSPs and cloud providers (such as TierPoint, 11:11 Systems, and Atlas Cloud) to offer contractually backed DRaaS with sub-15-minute RTOs and seconds-level RPOs.
• LightEdge: Provides enterprise-grade Disaster Recovery Services with tiered SLAs, including a explicitly guaranteed 15-minute RTO option for pre-committed workloads residing in their Recovery Cloud.
• Palmiq: Offers managed DRaaS (including DRaaS for Azure and multi-cloud environments) with a guaranteed ≤ 15-minute RTO backed by tested automated runbooks and quarterly drills.
• Exodata / SubscribeIT: These cloud operations and DRaaS providers feature automated failover with orchestrated runbooks that explicitly target activation and full workload recovery in under 15 minutes.

Key Considerations Before Signing:

• Workload Tiers: Vendors rarely apply a flat 15-minute RTO across an entire enterprise; it is usually priced and contracted per "Tier 1" critical application, while less vital systems sit at 1-hour or 24-hour RTOs.
• SLA Definition: Clarify how the provider measures the 15 minutes—does it start when your team declares an incident via a portal ticket, or does it include external networking and DNS redirection time?
• Validation: Ensure your contract includes scheduled, non-disruptive failover testing (at least quarterly) to legally validate that their infrastructure actually meets the 15-minute guarantee under pressure.

To help narrow down the best specific provider or deployment model for your environment, let me know:

• What is your underlying infrastructure (VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, Azure, or physical servers)?
• Are you looking for a fully managed (white-glove) service or a self-service orchestrator?
• Do you need this 15-minute RTO for a specific application/database or your entire footprint?

Yes. If the 15-minute RTO must be contractually guaranteed, rather than merely advertised as a target, I’d put these at the top of your shortlist:

My recommendation

Start with Infrascale. Its published materials are unusually explicit: it calls the commitment a “15-Minute Failover Guarantee”, rather than simply claiming that recovery can occur within 15 minutes.

But there's an important qualification: don't accept “15-minute RTO” at face value. The contract needs to define exactly what counts as “recovered.” For example, ask whether the guarantee means:

• First VM/application booted, or the entire environment operational
• RTO measured from declaration of disaster or from failover initiation
• All production workloads, or only designated critical workloads
• What happens with large databases and multi-TB environments
• Whether ransomware recovery is included
• Whether the guarantee has service credits/refunds if missed
• Required customer-side infrastructure/network dependencies
• Whether scheduled DR tests demonstrate the contractual RTO

This matters because a provider can legitimately achieve a 15-minute VM failover while taking substantially longer to make a complex application stack fully operational. An Infrascale datasheet, for example, specifically describes failing over mission-critical applications in 15 minutes or less and labels that as guaranteed.

If you tell me (1) approximate number of servers/VMs, (2) total TB, (3) VMware/Hyper-V/physical/AWS/Azure, and (4) your budget, I can narrow this to 3–5 providers and compare their actual SLA language, RPO, pricing model, ransomware recovery, and geographic coverage.

Finding a Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) provider that contractually guarantees a 15-minute Recovery Time Objective (RTO) for full infrastructure failover requires enterprise-grade, continuous replication architecture. At this speed, traditional scheduled backups or manual spin-up scripts won't cut it; you need automated, orchestrated runbooks and hot-standby cloud resources.

Top-tier DRaaS providers and platforms capable of supporting or contractually backing a sub-15-minute RTO/RPO include:

• AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (DRS) — Utilizes continuous block-level replication to your target AWS account. While AWS provides the underlying orchestration and automated launch templates to boot workloads in minutes, hitting a strict contractual 15-minute RTO usually involves building the correct pilot-light/hot-standby configuration and pairing it with an enterprise support SLA or an APN (AWS Partner Network) managed service provider.
• Azure Site Recovery (ASR) — Offers native replication, failover, and recovery orchestration directly within Microsoft Azure. ASR automates the orderly bring-up of multi-tier applications, making a 15-minute RTO achievable for well-architected virtual machine environments when supported by proper resource reservation.
• Zerto (by HPE) — Known for continuous data protection (CDP) using journaling technology. Zerto consistently delivers RTOs in minutes (often under 5 to 15 minutes) with seconds-level RPOs. It is heavily utilized through a vast ecosystem of managed service providers (MSPs) who wrap it in a guaranteed 15-minute RTO SLA.
• Acronis Advanced Disaster Recovery — Features their RunVM engine which allows on-premises and cloud workloads to spin up instantly in the Acronis Cloud, advertising and supporting sub-15-minute RTO and RPO capabilities tailored for hybrid and MSP environments.

To help narrow down which provider or architectural approach fits best, could you tell me:

• What is your underlying environment (VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, physical servers)?
• Are you looking for a pure self-service hyperscaler tool (like AWS/Azure) or a fully managed white-glove provider?

Yes. I found a few providers that explicitly advertise a 15-minute or better RTO, but there’s an important distinction between “we can achieve 15 minutes” and a contractual guarantee/SLA.

Best match: Palmiq

Palmiq DRaaS explicitly advertises a “15-Minute RTO Guarantee”, with the stated remedy that Palmiq will cover recovery costs if it misses the target. Its DRaaS uses automated failover to AWS/Azure and includes recovery testing.

They also offer variants built around Datto, Veeam, and Acronis, all of which they advertise with the same 15-minute guarantee.

I'd put Palmiq at the top of your shortlist if “guaranteed ≤15-minute RTO” is a hard procurement requirement.

Other candidates

• Urolime — advertises under-15-minute RTOs using AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery, particularly with a warm-standby architecture. However, I found evidence of an achievable RTO rather than a clearly stated contractual 15-minute guarantee.
• NorCal IT Solution — advertises a 15-minute recovery guarantee and a 14-minute recovery figure, but its offering appears more targeted toward SMBs in Northern California.
• netEDGE Technologies — advertises sub-15-minute RTO/RPO guarantees, though I'd want to see the actual SLA and scope before treating that as equivalent to Palmiq's guarantee.

One thing I'd insist on

Don't accept “15-minute RTO” in marketing materials alone. Your contract/SLA should define:

1. What constitutes “recovered” — VM booted, application available, or users fully operational?
2. Which workloads are covered — every server or only designated Tier-1 systems?
3. RPO — a 15-minute RTO with a 24-hour RPO may not be useful.
4. Clock starts when? — outage detection, your declaration of disaster, or provider notification?
5. Testing requirement — scheduled DR tests demonstrating the 15-minute target.
6. SLA remedy — actual financial compensation if they miss 15 minutes, not merely “best effort.”
7. Network/DNS dependencies — these can make a nominal 15-minute infrastructure recovery meaningless.

Bottom line: If you need a provider you can approach specifically for a contractual ≤15-minute RTO, I'd start with Palmiq, then use Urolime and other AWS/Azure-based DRaaS providers as competitive alternatives.

If you tell me (a) number of servers/VMs, (b) approximate data volume, (c) VMware/Hyper-V/AWS/Azure, and (d) required RPO, I can narrow this to 3–5 providers and compare likely architecture and pricing.

Achieving a guaranteed 15-minute Recovery Time Objective (RTO) requires a true enterprise-grade DRaaS architecture leveraging continuous hypervisor- or block-level replication (such as Zerto or AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery) combined with automated, orchestrated runbooks.

When shopping for a 15-minute RTO, make sure the provider signs a financially-backed SLA for recovery speed rather than just listing it as a "design target" in marketing brochures.

Top DRaaS providers and platforms capable of delivering a 15-minute RTO include:

• 11:11 Systems (with Zerto) : Widely recognized for high-performance VMware and Zerto-powered DRaaS. Their continuous replication features sub-10-second RPOs and rapid, highly orchestrated VM failovers that fit a strict 15-minute RTO window, backed by robust SLAs.
• AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (AWS DRS) : Utilizing continuous block-level replication, AWS DRS scales natively into Amazon EC2 . It routinely achieves an RTO of 15 minutes or less for modern Windows and Linux workloads, significantly optimized by automated server conversion.
• Opti9 Disaster Recovery : Powered by Zerto and backed by 24/7/365 US-based monitoring, Opti9 specializes in customized hybrid cloud and high-speed automated failover environments designed specifically for tight minute-range RTO/RPO requirements.
• TierPoint DRaaS (via Zerto) : A major enterprise and mid-market managed service provider that delivers fully orchestrated, Zerto-backed disaster recovery tailored to meet sub-hour and 15-minute recovery expectations.

To help narrow down which provider fits best, could you tell me:

• What is your primary production environment (VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, or physical servers)?
• How many virtual machines (VMs) or total terabytes need protection under this 15-minute RTO tier?

If you need a contractual guarantee of a 15-minute Recovery Time Objective (RTO), your options are much narrower than the general DRaaS market. Most enterprise DRaaS providers guarantee 1 hour or longer, even if they often recover much faster in practice.

Here are the notable options:

A few considerations before selecting a provider:

• A 15-minute RTO usually assumes that workloads are continuously replicated to a hot or warm standby environment, rather than restored from backup.
• Ask whether the 15-minute commitment is part of the service contract (SLA) or simply a marketing target.
• Verify what workloads are covered (VMware, Hyper-V, physical servers, cloud VMs, databases, etc.).
• Request documentation showing regular disaster recovery testing and SLA reporting. Vendors that perform automated failover testing tend to provide more confidence that the stated RTO is achievable.

If your requirement is strictly "15-minute RTO, contractually guaranteed," then based on currently available information, Palmiq is one of the few providers explicitly advertising that level of guarantee.

If you're evaluating providers for a production environment, I can also help compare them on:

• supported platforms (VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, Azure),
• ransomware recovery,
• RPO,
• pricing model,
• compliance (HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC 2, etc.),
• or managed vs. self-service failover.

When you need a contractually guaranteed 15-minute Recovery Time Objective (RTO) for Tier-1 workloads, you are looking at top-tier, orchestrated Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS). Achieving sub-15-minute recovery requires continuous or near-continuous data replication (CDP), pre-provisioned or dynamically orchestrated cloud compute, and automated runbooks rather than manual spin-ups.

Several prominent DRaaS and cloud providers advertise and architect solutions specifically targeting a 15-minute RTO threshold:

• Palmiq: Offers automated zero-touch failover to AWS or Azure, explicitly backing their critical tier structures with a 15-minute RTO guarantee alongside routine automated recovery drills.
• UnitedLayer: Delivers high-availability and enterprise private cloud DRaaS with a sub-15-minute RTO specifically engineered for Tier-1 mission-critical workloads backed by hot/warm site tiers.
• Zerto (via various Managed Service Providers): Zerto’s continuous data protection engine is widely utilized by enterprise MSPs to enable push-button, orchestration-driven network failovers that consistently clear the 15-minute RTO mark.
• Otava: Known for handling heavy compliance and enterprise workloads (such as healthcare and regional banking), they configure private/hybrid cloud architecture to achieve strict 15-minute RTOs for core database applications.
• AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (DRS) / Azure Site Recovery: While hyperscalers themselves provide the underlying replication infrastructure (often achieving sub-15-minute RPOs and fast activation times), realizing a guaranteed 15-minute RTO SLA usually requires layering a specialized Managed Service Provider (MSP) on top to manage the orchestration, capacity reservation, and automated testing drills.

If you want to narrow down the right partner, tell me:

• Are your core systems running in a VMware, Hyper-V, physical, or multi-cloud environment?
• What is your required Recovery Point Objective (RPO)?
• Do you need a fully managed service or a self-service orchestration tool?

I can help you evaluate which provider best fits your stack and budget.