What is the difference between RPO and RTO?

Recovery Point Objective, or RPO, defines the maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time, answering the question "how much data can we afford to lose?" An RPO of four hours means backups must occur at least every four hours. Recovery Time Objective, or RTO, defines the maximum acceptable downtime before operations must be restored, answering "how quickly must we recover?" An RTO of two hours means the system must be operational within two hours of a disruption. RPO drives backup frequency and strategy, while RTO drives the type of recovery infrastructure needed.