Disaster Recovery: What Businesses Need to Know

Imagine arriving to work and finding that your business's IT system was destroyed by a flood or a fire. If you did not have a disaster recovery plan in place, your business might very well never reopen. Alternatively, if it did, its chances of achieving the previous level of success would be minimal. Providers of disaster recovery services have a bevy of statistics that show why businesses should have a business continuity plan in place. For example:

Forty-three percent of companies that experience a major data loss do not reopen (DTI/Price Waterhouse Coopers)Eighty percent of companies that do not rebound from a data loss within one month are likely to go out of business in the near future (Bernstein Crisis Management)Fifty-one percent of companies are out of business within two years of experiencing a major data loss (University of Texas Center for Research on Information Systems)

These statistics show the importance of having a recovery plan, but what defines a good plan? While different businesses have different needs, most of them need the following things to recover the IT network in the midst of a catastrophe:

Recovered data from an offsite storage systemTemporary hardware for accessing the dataA Temporary location for stationing the hardwareTemporary staff for carrying out the plan

A provider of disaster recovery services will ensure these needs are met, but the customer must first go through the process for implementing the plan:

Building a governance structure - Proponents of the plan build support for its implementation by forming two committees: a working committee and an oversight committee, which are composed of key stakeholders and senior leaders, respectively.Selecting a partner - After the initiative for the plan is accepted, the company selects a provider of disaster recovery solutions to develop a detailed plan. If the plan is not accepted without the advice of a business continuity expert, the partner may serve as the expert. Developing a plan and strategy - Developing the plan begins with assessing how the loss of the IT system would affect the company, defining the length of time the company has to recuperate from the loss, and defining the goals of the recovery. Performing a Business Impact Analysis (BIA), developing Recovery Time Objectives (RTO), and developing Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) accomplish these goals. Executing and maintaining the plan - The plan is tested before it is implemented. If the recovery needs of the company change, the plan is changed as needed. To ensure the plan remains viable, it is reviewed at regular intervals.

These are the basic steps for implementing a recovery plan. A provider of such services will provide information that is more detailed.

Conclusion

A disaster recovery plan helps businesses operate in the midst of disasters that compromise the IT system. Without a plan in place, most businesses never fully come back from a major data loss - if they ever reopen their doors at all. To learn what solution is right for your business, contact a provider of disaster recovery services today.