Quick Answer
One day of Odoo downtime costs $55k-$145k for a $2M D2C brand. Build a tested disaster recovery plan with RTO (recovery time) of 4 hours and RPO (data loss) of 1 hour. Test monthly. Without a plan, recovery takes days and costs $100k-$500k.
The Disaster That Nobody Plans For
Your Odoo system is running smoothly. Orders are flowing. Revenue is being recorded. Everything is working perfectly.
Then a server fails. Or a ransomware attack hits. Or someone accidentally deletes the database.
You panic. You call your consultant. You realize you have no tested recovery plan. You don't even know how long recovery will take.
⚠️ Reality: 24 hours later, you're still down. Your business has lost $180,000 in revenue. Customers are angry. Your team is working around the clock trying to recover manually. Reputation is damaged.
This is what happens when you don't have a disaster recovery plan for Odoo.
We've implemented 150+ Odoo systems. The ones with tested, documented disaster recovery plans? When disaster strikes (and it does), they recover in 2-4 hours with minimal data loss. The ones without? We've seen them lose days, weeks, and $100,000-$500,000 in revenue and trust.
Cost of One Day Downtime ($2M D2C Brand)
| Cost Category | Range |
|---|---|
| Lost revenue | $5,700 |
| Customer service overload | $8,000-$15,000 |
| Lost customers (permanent defection) | $12,000-$40,000 |
| SEO/reputational damage | $20,000-$50,000 |
| Emergency consulting | $10,000-$30,000 |
| Total | $55,700-$145,000 |
A disaster recovery plan costs $4,000-$12,000 to build and test. One incident recovers the entire investment.
Understanding RTO & RPO (The Foundation)
Before you build a disaster recovery plan, you need to understand two critical metrics.
RTO = Recovery Time Objective
The maximum amount of time you can afford to be down. For a $2M D2C brand:
Acceptable RTO: 4 hours (any longer and you lose too much revenue)
Aggressive RTO: 1 hour (minimizes customer impact)
RPO = Recovery Point Objective
The maximum amount of data loss you can accept. Measured in time:
Acceptable RPO: 1 hour (lose up to 1 hour of orders/transactions)
Aggressive RPO: 15 minutes (lose up to 15 minutes of data)
Example: RTO 4 hours, RPO 1 hour
• If disaster strikes at noon, you have until 4 PM to recover
• You lose up to 1 hour of data (orders placed between 11 AM and noon)
• But systems are back online with 11 AM+ data intact
| Brand Type | Target RTO | Target RPO |
|---|---|---|
| D2C Brand ($2M-$5M) | 4 hours | 1 hour |
| High-Volume E-commerce ($5M+) | 1 hour | 15 minutes |
| B2B Manufacturing | 8 hours | 2 hours |
The 5 Disaster Scenarios (What Can Actually Break)
Before you can recover, understand what disasters are actually possible.
Scenario 1: Database Corruption
Your PostgreSQL database gets corrupted. Odoo can't start.
Causes
• Hardware failure (disk read error)
• Power failure during write operation
• Ransomware/malware attack
• Failed migration or update
Impact
• Complete system down
• No orders can be recorded
• No inventory visibility
• Financial records inaccessible
Recovery: Restore from backup RTO: 1-3 hours, RPO: 1 hour
Scenario 2: Server/Infrastructure Failure
Your server hardware fails. Complete loss of infrastructure.
Causes
• Hard drive failure
• Server power supply failure
• Network infrastructure failure
• Hosting provider outage
Impact
• Odoo is down
• Website is down (if hosted on same infrastructure)
• All operations stop
Recovery: Restore to backup infrastructure RTO: 2-6 hours, RPO: 1 hour
Scenario 3: Ransomware/Cyber Attack
Someone gains unauthorized access and encrypts your database.
Causes
• Weak password, compromised account
• Unpatched security vulnerability
• Phishing attack
• Supply chain compromise
Impact
• Systems are encrypted, inaccessible
• Potential data breach
• Extortion demand for decryption key
• Legal and regulatory consequences
Recovery: Restore from clean backup before encryption RTO: 3-8 hours, RPO: varies
Scenario 4: Human Error (Accidental Deletion)
Someone (consultant, developer, IT staff) accidentally deletes critical data.
Causes
• Wrong database selected (prod instead of test)
• Wrong script executed
• Incorrect query in data cleanup
Impact
• Data is gone
• Accounts, orders, GL entries missing
• Financial records incomplete
Recovery: Restore specific data from point-in-time backup RTO: 2-4 hours, RPO: 30 min to 1 hour
Scenario 5: Integration Failure (Silent Data Loss)
Your Shopify-to-Odoo sync fails silently. Orders aren't syncing.
Causes
• API key expired
• Integration broke due to app update
• Rate limits exceeded
• Data format mismatch
Impact
• Orders placed on Shopify don't appear in Odoo
• You don't know about the failure for hours
• Inventory is out of sync
• Revenue isn't being recorded
Recovery: Recover missing orders from sync logs, manually import RTO: 4-8 hours, RPO: 1-2 hours
The Complete Disaster Recovery Plan Template
Section 1: Governance & Objectives
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Recovery Time Objective (RTO) | 4 hours |
| Recovery Point Objective (RPO) | 1 hour |
| DR Coordinator | [Name, Phone, Email] |
| Technical Lead | [Name, Phone, Email] |
| Operations Manager | [Name, Phone, Email] |
Section 2: Backup & Recovery Procedures
Backup Strategy:
✓ Daily full backups: 2 AM UTC, retained for 30 days
✓ Transaction logs: Every hour, retained for 7 days
✓ Offsite storage: AWS S3, encrypted, geographically separated
✓ Filestore backup: Daily, includes uploaded files/attachments
Database Recovery Procedure
Step 1: Assess Damage (5-10 minutes)
Is the database:
- Corrupted? (Can't connect, queries fail)
- Encrypted? (Ransomware attack)
- Accidentally deleted? (Specific tables missing)
- Out of sync? (Data inconsistent)
- Other? (Describe issue)Step 2: Identify Recovery Point (5 minutes)
When did the problem start?
- If 2 PM corruption discovered, recover from 12 PM backup?
- Or 11 AM backup (to be safe)?
Check backups available:
[ ] 2 PM backup (latest)
[ ] 1 PM backup
[ ] 12 PM backup
[ ] 11 AM backup
Choose recovery point: [TIME]Step 3: Restore Backup
1. Go to Odoo.sh dashboard → Backups
2. Select backup from [TIME]
3. Click "Restore to new database" (name: odoo_recovered)
4. Wait 5-15 minutes for restore to complete# Drop corrupted database
dropdb odoo_production
# Create new database
createdb odoo_production
# Restore from backup
pg_restore -Fc -d odoo_production /backups/odoo_backup_2025-12-19_14-00-00.dump
# Restore filestore
tar -xzf /backups/filestore_2025-12-19_14-00-00.tar.gz -C /opt/odoo/
# Restart Odoo
sudo systemctl restart odooStep 4: Validate Recovery (30-45 minutes)
[ ] Odoo starts without errors
[ ] Can log in as admin
[ ] Database contains expected records:
[ ] Random order check: Order #5432 exists with correct data
[ ] Customer check: Customer #847 exists
[ ] GL check: General ledger trial balance = 0
[ ] Inventory check: 50 random products have correct stock levels
[ ] Recent transactions post-recovery:
[ ] Create test order: Verify it posts correctly
[ ] Create test invoice: Verify GL posting works
[ ] Test Shopify sync: Verify orders still importingTimeline: 1-3 hours total (depending on database size)
Section 3: Communication Plan
Call immediately (don't email):
- DR Coordinator: [Phone]
- CEO: [Phone]
- Operations Manager: [Phone]
Message:
"Odoo is currently down due to [specific issue].
Recovery process started. Initial estimate: 2-4 hours to full recovery.
Will update you in 30 minutes."Subject: Odoo Incident Update - 30 Minutes
Status: IN RECOVERY
Issue: [Specific description]
Discovery time: [Time]
Recovery approach: [Option chosen]
Estimated recovery: [Time estimate]
Estimated data loss: [None / up to X hours of data]
What we're doing:
1. [Step 1]
2. [Step 2]
3. [Step 3]
Impact to business:
- Orders cannot be recorded (manual backup process in place)
- Shopify orders are queued, will sync when system recovered
- Customer service using manual processes
Next update: [In 30 minutes]Section 4: Testing Schedule
| Frequency | Test Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Backup restore to test database | 30 minutes |
| Quarterly | Full disaster recovery simulation | 2-4 hours |
| Annually | Plan review & stakeholder sign-off | 1 hour |
Testing Your Disaster Recovery Plan
You must test this plan before you need it.
⚠️ Reality: Most D2C brands have "disaster recovery plans" that have never been tested. Then when disaster strikes, the plan fails because backups were never actually taken, restoration procedure was never executed, or required information is missing.
Monthly Backup Restore Test (30 minutes)
1. Go to Odoo.sh dashboard (or server console)
2. Find daily backup from 2 days ago
3. Restore to a test database named "odoo_test_restore"
4. Open test database in web browser
5. Log in as admin
6. Check 10 random records (customers, orders)
7. Document: "Backup restored successfully on [Date]"Quarterly Full DR Test (2-4 hours)
Simulate complete failure:
1. Take database offline (simulate corruption)
2. Execute full recovery procedure as documented
3. Time how long it takes (measure RTO)
4. Verify all data is correct (measure RPO)
5. Document:
- Actual RTO (compared to target of 4 hours)
- Any gaps or issues discovered
- Lessons learnedAction Items: Build Your DR Plan
Before Go-Live
❏ Define your RTO (how long can you be down?)
❏ Define your RPO (how much data loss is acceptable?)
❏ Document all disaster scenarios that could affect Odoo
❏ Create disaster recovery team (assign names, phones)
❏ Set up backup strategy (frequency, retention, offsite storage)
❏ Build recovery procedures (step-by-step for each scenario)
Post-Go-Live (First Month)
❏ Test backup restore (monthly backup test)
❏ Execute full DR test (measure actual RTO vs. target)
❏ Document test results
❏ Train recovery team on procedures
❏ Get stakeholder sign-off on plan
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I backup my Odoo database?
Daily full backups at minimum. For high-transaction environments, add hourly transaction log backups to minimize data loss (lower RPO).
Should I use Odoo.sh cloud or self-host for better disaster recovery?
Odoo.sh is better for most D2C brands. Built-in automated backups, one-click restore, and managed infrastructure. Self-hosting requires you to manage backups, which adds complexity and risk.
How do I recover from ransomware if my backups are also encrypted?
Store backups offsite (AWS S3, Google Cloud) with immutable/write-once protection. Even if production is encrypted, offsite backups remain clean.
What's the cost of building a disaster recovery plan?
$4,000-$12,000 for professional DR planning and testing. One downtime incident without a plan costs $55k-$145k for a single day. ROI is immediate.
Free Disaster Recovery Planning Assessment
Stop hoping your backups work and actually know. We'll assess your current setup, define RTO/RPO targets, and build a tested disaster recovery plan. One incident without a plan costs $100,000-$500,000.