Failback definition
In cybersecurity, “Failback” returns system operations and information processing to its original state after failover. In most cases, failover events occur when a system component, whether a server or a data center, fails or experiences any kind of outage. Failback procedures are crucial for maintaining business operations and process continuity, ensuring systems return to secure operational states and efficiency after such failures. Various types of “Failbacks” depend on specific priorities and requirements that organizations set up for their cybersecurity measures or disaster recovery strategies.
See also: failover
Common types of “Failbacks” in cybersecurity:
- Automatic failback: Automatic failback is one of the most seamless types since the systems automatically return to their primary state when the primary system or component becomes stable and available. This type of failback is often used in high-availability configurations.
- Manual failback: This type of failback requires manual, in most cases, human interaction to initiate the return to the primary state of the system. To be more precise, these processes are done by administrators who check if the primary system is fully recovered and stable before switching back to it. On the other hand, this type is slower as it has a delay created by a human factor.
- Partial failback: This type is specific to scenarios where it's unnecessary to fail back the entire system or services. In partial failbacks, only particular components or servers are returned to the primary state, while others can continue to operate in a failover state or configuration.
