Disaster Recovery

No one wants to plan for it, but disaster can happen at any time.   This week’s issue we are going to talk about disaster recovery and business continuity.  No matter what size your company, these concepts are a critical part of IT planning.  All companies rely on their data installed on computers, servers, and any other hardware. The idea of losing this data, can strike fear into every employee.  There are differences between both schemes and it is vital to understand how to plan and put them into action.

Let’s define both of these plans.

Disaster Recovery – A disaster recovery plan defines how a company will get up and running after any kind of catastrophic event.  A data backup schedule is considered only part of a disaster recovery plan – but not a substitute for one.

If the data is not backed up, the company may not survive a disaster.  Not only will the disaster impact a business, recovering data will be a painstaking and challenging task.

Let’s look at some key concerns to consider when composing a disaster recovery plan.

Documents – It is best practice to have documentation on everything in print and stored at an off-site facility.  You may not have access to the Internet, so a printed copy is imperative.

Media & Licenses – Create backups for all media and licenses required to reload the operating system, database applications, patches, service packs, configurations, etc. at multiple locations.

Data/Intellectual Property – Arrange for have immediate access to all backups and restore media.  You should also have multiple copies located off-site, not only will it be part of the disaster recovery plan, it will save the company in the event of viruses, human error, worms, hackers, etc.

Hardware – Arrange for immediate access to compatible hardware needed to reinstall applications, databases, etc.

Business Continuity – A plan designed to maintain business operations following a declared disaster.  Recovering computer system assets may take some time so it is vital that this plan is current.  Some key considerations are:

• What is the first priority to be recovered first in order to conduct company operations?
• Where will temporary operations be located?
• What is the timeline for getting everything restored?
• How will the company work with clients and vendors?
• What will the communications plan look like?

There are several companies that offer service plans for disaster recovery and business continuity.  They also provide storage for off-site backups and are available on an as-needed basis.

I hope that you found this information helpful.  Please feel free to forward to others.  If you would like to learn more on this topic or would like to request another topic for the future please contact me. If you missed any past newsletters or would a printed copy, visit my website www.mdsystemsolutions.com.

Until next time…Happy Computing!!!