--- title: 3 Steps to Restore Your Server in Mere Minutes description: Disk-imaging technology, faster storage, and new protocols have changed the average recovery time objectives (RTOs) from hours to minutes. But in the modern world, data is so critical that many businesses are working to reduce RTOs even further, and with good reason. Today a business that doesn’t have access to its data can lose $100,000 every hour, in addition to the potentially huge costs of recovering that data. canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/3-steps-restore-your-server-mere-minutes/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # 3 Steps to Restore Your Server in Mere Minutes Disk-imaging technology, faster storage, and new protocols have changed the average recovery time objectives (RTOs) from hours to minutes. But in the modern world, data is so critical that many businesses are working to reduce RTOs even further, and with good reason. Today a business that doesn’t have access to its data can lose $100,000 every hour, in addition to the potentially huge costs of recovering that data. [Learn More](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cyber-protect/) [![Image 2: Dave Kostos](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/4ebd2c6ab90855a20d45286557169382.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/dave-kostos/ "Dave Kostos") [Dave Kostos](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/dave-kostos/) 3 min read Last updated 17 March 2026 Disk-imaging technology, faster storage, and new protocols have changed the average recovery time objectives (RTOs) from hours to minutes. But in the modern world, data is so critical that many businesses are working to reduce RTOs even further, and with good reason. Today a business that doesn’t have access to its data can lose $100,000 every hour, in addition to the potentially [huge costs](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/blog/posts/ransomware-attacks-sail-san-diego-and-barcelona) of recovering that data. While these lightning-fast RTOs can be achieved by traditional technologies, like replication, high-availability, or fault tolerance, they come at a high total cost of ownership (TCO). This effectively eliminates them as an option for most small businesses. Fortunately there are [new, innovative technologies](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/blog/posts/how-speed-server-recovery-using-virtual-environment) that empower your business to boot a system copy directly onto an existing virtual machine (Microsoft Hyper-V or VMware vSphere ESXi, for example) and bring your most important systems back to a functional state in under a minute so you can get back to work immediately after a data loss incident. See how one of these new technologies works for yourself in the simple step-by-step list below: ## 1. Your hypervisor reads from virtual storage The [backup agent](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cyber-protect/components/) installed on your system’s virtual host creates a virtual storage device on your host that acts like a remote, virtual data store. Any time the hypervisor reads from this virtual device, your backup agent will retrieve the data from the traditional backup storage location — whether it’s stored on-premises, in local drives and storage devices, or in the cloud – and present it to the hypervisor. ## 2. Your hypervisor restores a copy to a virtual machine Each time this happens, the virtual storage device is populated with a copy of the most recent backup. As a result, when there is a data loss incident the hypervisor can read any portion of your backup – from email inboxes to full-image system states – and recall it to a virtual machine with just a few clicks. Because there’s no need to move the entire backup to the hypervisor storage the backup can be launched immediately. ## 3. Your hypervisor preserves backup data for future recovery And don’t worry, if the hypervisor is needed to write new data, it will automatically be written to a temporary storage location on the host. This preserves the backup data in the virtual data store exactly as it is to ensure it runs properly if needed for recovery. Throughout the entire process, the technology is transparent to the hypervisor. If needed for data recovery, your virtual machine will start, your operating system and applications will be operational, and your selected data will be available for production use in a matter of seconds so your business can get up-and-running while a full-scale data recovery effort and preventative measures take place. With this tool and process in place, machines can be booted back to a functional state in less than a minute. Of course, your results may vary depending on the complexity of your system setup but, it’s worth knowing that, with the right modern tech tools, any RTO is achievable. [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) ## Written by ![Image 3: Dave Kostos](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/4ebd2c6ab90855a20d45286557169382.png) Dave Kostos [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/managed-it-services/) [Why Delivering Managed IT Services is Advantageous – and How to Sell Them with Ease](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/managed-it-services/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/sodinokibi-ransomware/) [Taking a deep dive into Sodinokibi ransomware](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/sodinokibi-ransomware/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=acronis.com) ## Related stories Want to learn more? Read the latest stories featuring this solution on our blog. [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) ![Image 4: stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/9600f3eea83b8f4e168ea6c1409c8c26.png) [stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/stc-bahrain-and-acronis-partner-to-bring-endpoint-security-to-businesses/) We are proud to announce a strategic partnership with stc Bahrain, expanding access to advanced cybersecurity services for businesses across Bahrain. **October 26, 2026**3 min read ![Image 5: Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/30cb571f6f1aaa131733e5727a4a250c.png) [Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/introducing-new-acronis-ceo-prakash-panjwani/) We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer, Prakash Panjwani. A veteran cybersecurity CEO, Panjwani previously served as CEO of WatchGuard Technologies and SafeNet. **October 15, 2026**2 min read ![Image 6: Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/18e90e89f5ec4ef0901f19008d4ccbf2.png) [Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-expands-mdr-toward-broader-workspace-protection/) Acronis is expanding the MDR service with capabilities that make this expertise easier to deliver and help partners address more risks. The developments build on a broader commitment to managed security: helping service providers protect the connected workspace while giving customers access to the expertise needed to investigate threats, respond effectively and maintain business continuity. **October 13, 2026**6 min read