Disaster Recovery 1 - 2 - 3
A Backup Article Contributed by Melissa Larose
Disaster Recovery 1 - 2 - 3
Disaster Recovery is easy as one, two, three if the plan has been well thought out. Many companies wait until they experience a disaster before they decide they need a plan. This doesn't work well for obvious reasons. If an effort is made to create a well thought out plan, disaster recovery can happen easily.
Disaster Recovery Comes First
Before you think about purchasing that next piece of technology consider what it will take to replace it should a disaster destroy it. What are you willing to do to make sure that doesn't happen?
Here are some examples of risks and threats a business could encounter: natural disaster such as hurricane, tornado, snowstorms, floods, fire, electrical storms, freezing weather; deliberate destruction such as terrorism, war, sabotage, theft, or arson; utility damage resulting in loss of electricity, gas, water, telephone, waste backup; equipment failure caused by internal failure, air conditioning or heating failure, IT failure; or security failures that lead to cyber crimes, loss of data, sensitive information leaks.
Certainly this is not a complete list of possible disasters. But it is a great place to start assessing the possible risks and threats your company may face. Some may seem outrageous in some areas, such as a flood or freezing conditions in the desert.
Disaster Recovery Requires Planning
The next step to take is to create your own list that is pertinent to your area and industry. Then assign a level of probability to each risk or threat. After doing so consider what might be lost in each incident, who might need to take care of a loss or who might be the point person to come up with a plan to handle an incident.
Consider availability of replacement parts and suppliers that might have been affected by the same disaster. How would you fill your needs? Identify key areas of your business that will need to be recovered first from any disaster. Can customer service be handled from a remote location?
As you can see there are a myriad of questions to ask and consider when it comes to disaster recovery. No one industry or business is just like the next. Each requires an in depth review in order to recover from a disaster. Data and sensitivity levels vary and the forethought of any company is contingent on how seriously management takes disaster recovery.
Disaster Recovery Software
Yes you read that correctly. Disaster recovery planning software is now on the market to make your planning job that much easier. Disaster Recovery was never so simple. Starting with a blank sheet of paper is no longer necessary.
The disaster recovery kit is filled with checklists and assessment questionnaires to help you along. It can assist you in identifying key resources and how they might affect your business should a disaster happen. The software makes the task so much less daunting that you can hardly refuse the prospect of being the one chosen to create the plan, now can you?
