Posts Tagged "disaster recovery planning"

So you have been disaster recovery planning, good job! You’re already more prepared than many companies when it comes to protecting your business in case of a disaster. The following 3 things will help you continue to develop your recovery plans, or refine a plan you may already have in place:

1. Business Impact Analysis

A frequently overlooked aspect of a DR plan is a business impact analysis, or BIA. This will help you determine ahead of time how your business will be impacted in case of a disaster, and how to potentially prevent negative impacts to key areas. This will also allow you to create a projection of the effects a disaster-related disruption will have on things such as productivity, security, and potential income. A BIA will also allow you to develop priorities for your disaster recovery plan.

2. Updates

Once you have a DR plan in place, do not forget to update it as need. Reasons to update a recovery plan include changes in your employees or company needs as you grow or change methods of operation. Additionally, the software and mechanics in place to help companies protect their data continues to grow and change over time, and you want to be sure you are using the most effective options possible.

3. Personnel

It is important to have a list of personnel who will be called in to work during a crisis, and to have multiple forms of contact information on file and easily accessible via hard copies in case digital records are not accessible. It is also beneficial to know which law enforcement or government officials to call in case you need their help, and to establish a dialog with them ahead of time if possible.

For further information concerning disaster recovery or data security, please feel free to contact us here at WHOA.

 

There is no bigger nightmare than if something should happen to your computer, and you’re unable to get a hold of all your necessary data. That’s why it’s necessary to have disaster recovery planning in place, which is when you document a proper procedure to recover your data in the event of a disaster.

Here’s a list of things you need to know about the disaster recovery planning process:

• It’s necessary for business continuity. Disasters can happen to anyone, anytime — so having a plan in place will ensure that you won’t have any business “downtime.”
• It’s not a “one size fits all” plan. No two businesses have the same needs, so it’s necessary to have a customized plan that specifically fits your business needs. You may want to enlist the help of a professional in order to get a proper plan in place.
• There are a number of things that could cause a disaster that causes your data to be lost. Natural disasters (such as changing weather patterns) and man-made disasters (such as arson) are both equally responsible for causing data disasters. That’s why you can never be too careful!

These are just a few of the many things that you need to know about disaster recovery planning. But, we understand that the process can be overwhelming, especially if you have a lot of data to take care of.

And that’s where we come in: we are a next-generation, ISO 27001-certified, secure cloud computing solutions provider.

We offer a comprehensive portfolio of best-in-class services to meet mission-critical requirements deployed on the industry’s finest hardware and software technologies.

For more information about us and our services, contact us today.

Modern businesses run on data.

Whether it’s something as simple as a customer mailing list and invoice records or a complex global enterprise, data is what keeps the lights on and the bills paid.

What is a Disaster?

It depends on who you ask. In 2011, the Joplin tornado destroyed the St. John’s Regional Medical Center. As a result, they’d probably give you a different definition than 21st Century Oncology after they revealed a data breach had released information on as many as 2.2 million patients. Two different medical providers lost countless records. In one case the confidential information literally ended up in trees. In the other, it ended up on the laptop of a malicious criminal. Both qualify as disasters.

What is a Disaster Plan?

A good disaster recovery plan looks at both internal and external threats. External threats include everything from a physical loss of the facility to fire or natural disaster to the loss of data from a breach of your computer systems. When you look at internal threats, you have to assess your exposure to things as mundane as an employee downloading a virus into your system to employee theft and industrial espionage.

The best disaster plans include people from all of your departments who can all throw in “what if” scenarios. Then applying principles of risk management, the threats are ranked on the basis of least probable to most probable and least damaging to most damaging.

Business Continuity and Disaster Planning:

Once your company has determined its threats, your team can work on business continuity plans. In today’s world, a key part of this plan is IT recovery. Not only must your data be recovered and secured, it must be accessible if your business is forced to move to another location after a fire or natural disaster.

One of the fastest ways to get up and running again is to use a secure cloud computing solution. Not only is your information secure, but it is also easily accessible. No more waiting for the retrieval and reinstallation of backup files. With a cloud solution, your employees can pop open a laptop and be back to work.

In a natural disaster, this is key if your business is part of the recovery framework, such as medical services, building supplies, or construction. In an internal disaster, such as a hack or physical compromise of your computers, a cloud-based system has your data protected behind another layer of security while still being easily accessed.

Regardless of your size or business, contact us at WHOA.com for a consultation on the IT recovery portion of your business continuity plan. We can craft a solution that works for your business and your budget.