A minute of downtime doesn’t sound like much, but an IT disruption, even if it lasts moments, can be costly. Disaster recovery efforts are leading the way in helping companies prepare for and prevent the worst.
Organizations do not enjoy the idea of the worst IT event that can happen to them, yet few spend time and money to prevent it. This is what leads to many just crossing their fingers and not putting together a disaster recovery plan. But it is key to have a plan in place so that your company can quickly get back to business after a disaster, whether natural or at the hands of hackers.
Elements of a Solid Plan
What works for one organization might not be the best for another. All plans for disaster recovery are going to be unique in one way or another. Yet all businesses can benefit by following these tips:
Communication Is Key
If a disaster strikes, how will you communicate with your team? If email is down, there has to be a “plan B.” If phones and email are down, what’s going to be your failsafe form of communication as you provide each other updates on your recovery process? It’s important that everyone know the protocol up front.
Establish Backups
It’s startling how many companies get sunk because they didn’t back up their critical data. Know which data requires real-time backup and ensure it’s stored off site, perhaps even duplicated in geographically disparate centers.
Know Your Steps
There should be a sequence of events for each technical task you take in a disaster recovery experience. Which of your apps is mission critical? How will recovery technicians gain access to your network? Should hardware be destroyed, how will your team access the tools they need to keep your operation going? Each of these tasks should be prioritized, and everyone should know their role long before a disaster hits your organization.
Rate Your Performance
If you actually do experience a disaster and you’ve followed your plan, once you’re up and running again you’ll need to evaluate how that plan worked out for you. Did everybody know what to do? Did you correctly identify mission-critical data and was it made available to you in short order? Evaluate how you did and iron out the wrinkles.
At Enterprise Visions, we have envisioned your future in the cloud, and we can help you build it, including disaster recovery solutions that will prepare you for the worst. Contact us today and find out more about what we offer.