The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) defines the maximum amount of data an organisation can afford to lose, measured as a time interval. For example, an RPO of four hours means that backups must occur at least every four hours, so that no more than four hours' worth of data is ever at risk. RPO is a key parameter in business continuity and disaster recovery planning.
Setting an appropriate RPO requires balancing the cost of more frequent backups against the business impact of data loss. Critical financial systems may demand an RPO of near zero, whilst less sensitive systems can tolerate longer intervals. RPO should always be defined alongside RTO to ensure a coherent recovery strategy.