Cisco & Meraki specialists. Across the UK.
+44 203 196 6566 · option 1sales@proxar.co.uk

Connect. Secure. Manage.

Cloud Network Disaster Recovery

Plan network connectivity for cloud recovery scenarios, testing how users, branches and external dependencies reach services after a declared failover.

Cisco Partner since 2009 Projects & ongoing support

Illustrative Cisco and Meraki data-centre network infrastructure
Look beyond the alarm.Evidence first. Controlled next steps.
1,000+

Devices supported
across the UK

20+

Client locations
supported

Nearly 8 Tbps

Traffic handled
at peak time

3 min

Average
response time

Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.

Cloud network disaster recovery prepares the paths needed when services move to an alternative site or cloud setup. We design and test Cisco and Meraki routes and access rules as part of the wider plan. Restoring data, identity and apps remains separate work. The recovery network must be reachable when those teams need to use it.

01

The whole path

Understand how sites, providers, cloud networks and security controls fit together.

02

Resilience that can be tested

Separate a second circuit from genuine end-to-end service resilience.

03

Provider coordination

Keep addressing, routing and escalation ownership clear across organisations.

Begin with the application's recovery sequence

We establish which services are expected to recover, where they will run and the order in which their dependencies become available. Network needs follow that sequence. A recovery server may need DNS, identity, licensing and management access before users can connect, even when its main app port is reachable.

The customer's continuity owner defines the recovery aims and acceptable reduced service. MCI identifies the networking contribution and dependencies, rather than promising an app recovery time based only on a router or tunnel test. Responsibilities for data restoration, workload startup and business validation remain clear.

Illustrative enterprise Cisco network rack in a modern office environment
01Enterprise switching and routing, built to be operated.
Cisco PartnerCisco Partner
Cisco MerakiCisco Meraki
ISO 9001Quality management
ISO 27001Information security
Cyber EssentialsCyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials PlusCyber Essentials Plus

MCI Network Services is operated by Proxar Ltd. Certifications apply to the certified legal entity and the scope of its certificates. View accreditation information

Map the alternative addressing and routes

The recovery setup may use different prefixes, gateways or public addresses from the normal service. We document those differences and their effect on branch routes, cloud route tables, firewalls and external counterparties. Address overlap between primary and recovery setups can create ambiguity if both become reachable at once.

The design also identifies how traffic is directed to the recovered service. DNS, routing changes and app setup may each have a role. We avoid assuming that one route advertisement updates every consumer, especially where a partner uses a fixed address or an external allowlist requires separate approval.

Illustrative Cisco and Meraki network rack in a modern office
02The office network: switching, uplinks and structured cabling.

A useful starting point

Tell us what is happening.

A short description of the problem is enough for an initial discussion.

Talk to a specialist

Ensure security follows the recovered workload

Recovery should preserve the required access boundaries, not merely restore network access through a broad temporary permit. We map the relevant segmentation, inspection and admin controls in the alternative setup. A standby site that has never received current policy may behave very differently from the production setup it is intended to replace.

Privileged recovery access is planned separately from ordinary user access. The team needs a controlled way to operate when central identity or management services are unavailable. Emergency credentials and permissions have owners, storage needs and a review process, rather than being distributed widely in an unrestricted recovery document.

Illustrative Cisco and Meraki fibre network rack with structured cabling
03Fibre, switching and the physical path behind the service.

Examine shared dependencies that could defeat recovery

Primary and recovery paths may still depend on the same provider, DNS service, cloud region, virtual appliance or admin account. We identify those shared elements and assess whether they match the failure scenarios the business is planning for. A second tunnel is not an independent recovery solution if it terminates on the same failed component.

Capacity and licensing also matter. A standby network may be able to carry essential apps but not the entire production workload. We record the resources required during activation and the constraints that could delay them, including provider actions and cloud permissions that must be available at the time of the incident.

Illustrative Cisco and Meraki network operations centre with monitoring displays
04Visibility, monitoring and operational control.

Build activation and reversal procedures

The network runbook identifies the exact decision points, owners and verification steps needed to activate recovery network access. It includes route changes, security policy, public addressing and any coordination with external providers. Tasks are ordered to avoid advertising a recovered service before it is actually ready to accept traffic.

Returning to normal operation receives its own plan. Failback can create route asymmetry, stale DNS responses or duplicate reachability if it is treated as a simple reversal of one command. We find the checks needed to confirm that app and network state are aligned before withdrawing the recovery path.

Illustrative Cisco and Meraki equipment in a modern data-centre aisle
05Resilient infrastructure from rack to service path.

Exercise the plan with representative tests

A controlled exercise checks the network path from relevant users and partner positions to the recovery workload. We test DNS, permitted access and important infrastructure dependencies, with app owners confirming the business workflow. A successful ping to the recovery subnet is not evidence that the service is usable.

The exercise records timings, failures, manual dependencies and limitations. Where a full disaster scenario cannot be reproduced safely, we state which parts were tested independently and which remain assumptions. Findings are assigned owners and retested after correction rather than left as notes in a report that will not be used until the next incident.

Illustrative Cisco and Meraki data-centre network infrastructure
06Network infrastructure designed around the workloads it carries.

Keep recovery aligned with production change

New subnets, certificates, security rules and app endpoints can make a recovery design obsolete. We connect network recovery records with the customer's change process and recommend a review when relevant dependencies change. Monitoring should identify unavailable standby paths before a production incident requires them.

MCI can provide the network workstream within a wider recovery programme or assess a current hybrid cloud routing design. Share the app recovery plan and target setups so we can identify the network access, policy and coordination needed. The outcome is tested network evidence and usable procedures, not an unsupported claim that network access alone makes the business disaster-ready.

Illustrative enterprise Cisco network rack in a modern office environment
07Enterprise switching and routing, built to be operated.

Technical references

Illustrative Cisco and Meraki network rack in a modern office
08The office network: switching, uplinks and structured cabling.

Talk to a specialist

Need a specialist view?

Tell us what is affected, what changed and what your team has already checked. A short outline is enough to start.

+44 203 196 6566

Choose option 1

sales@proxar.co.uk

UK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.

Existing customers should use their agreed support and escalation channels. This form is for service enquiries, not a monitored emergency ticket.

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