Optimizing Disaster Recovery: Introducing Enhanced Control for Cross-Region Snapshots

For modern enterprises, disaster recovery (DR) is not optional. As workloads scale and become geographically distributed, the ability to restore access and functionality after a disruptive event is critical for business continuity. However, robust DR strategies often come with a hefty price tag.

Historically, ensuring data resiliency meant mirroring your primary backup policies across multiple regions. While effective, this approach was often rigid and cost-inefficient. Customers frequently found themselves "over-insuring" their data—paying to store redundant copies they didn't actually need, simply because the tooling didn't allow for granular control. This is now a thing of the past.

Today, MongoDB is excited to announce significantly improved flexibility for Copy Snapshots (snapshot distribution) in MongoDB Atlas. These new features give DevOps engineers and DBAs precise control over which snapshots are copied, how long they are kept, and how existing backups are managed—allowing you to optimize storage costs without sacrificing compliance or data protection.

The challenge: rigidity vs. cost

Previously, Atlas users faced an "all-or-nothing" trade-off when configuring snapshot distribution. If you wanted to copy backups to a DR region, you had to copy all snapshots at a specified frequency (e.g., every hour). Worse, the retention policy for these copies was locked to the original snapshot’s policy.

This lack of flexibility meant that if you kept operational backups for 30 days in your primary region, you were forced to pay for 30 days of storage in your DR region—even if your DR strategy only required a seven-day retention period. This created friction for customers trying to balance strict compliance requirements with budget constraints.

A new level of control

We have introduced three key capabilities to transform how you manage cross-region backups:

1. Selective copying of snapshots

You can now choose exactly which snapshots to copy to your disaster recovery regions rather than being forced to copy each one within a frequency unit.

• How it helps: Instead of copying all hourly snapshots, you can configure Atlas to copy only the latest daily snapshot or a specific subset of hourly snapshots.

• The benefit: This dramatically reduces redundant storage by aligning your DR coverage with your actual recovery point objectives (RPO).

2. Independent retention policies

We have decoupled the retention settings for the copy from those of the original. You can now set unique retention periods for snapshot copies in each region.

• How it helps: You might retain daily snapshots for 30 days in your primary region for operational use, but configure your copy region to retain them for only seven days.

• The benefit: You can significantly reduce long-term storage costs for backup copies that are rarely accessed, while still maintaining a robust history in your primary region.

3. Retroactive policy application

Changing a backup strategy shouldn't just apply to the future; it should help you clean up the past. When you update a snapshot copy policy—such as reducing retention time or removing a specific frequency—you can now retroactively apply those changes to snapshots that have already been copied.

• How it helps: You no longer need to wait for old, expensive copies to expire naturally.

• The benefit: This provides immediate cost relief and eliminates the need for manual cleanup or complex scripts to manage storage usage.

Why this update matters

These improvements are designed to make Atlas Backup more flexible and cost-efficient for mid-to-large enterprises with complex DR requirements. By moving away from rigid, one-size-fits-all policies, you can build a disaster recovery strategy that fits your specific compliance needs and budget.

Whether you are looking to cut unnecessary storage spend or are finally ready to enable snapshot distribution, these features remove the friction of traditional cloud backup strategies.