What You Didn’t Know about Disaster Recovery
A disaster recovery plan is like life insurance – you should always have it but hope you never need to use it. Data loss and downtime are becoming a near-inevitable force to be reckoned with, and as more companies switch to remote work and online solutions, the data loss stakes only get higher. Here are some things you probably didn’t know about disaster recovery.
Your Disaster Recovery Plan Has Expiration Dates
Just like the water or bandages in your home emergency kit, there will always be parts of your disaster recovery plan that are outdated and need to have components revamped or replaced. IT disaster recovery best practices don’t include “set it and forget it,” unfortunately.
And with the swiftness that IT changes take place, it’s important to have someone test your disaster recovery plan before you have a disaster to recover from. Just like fire and tornado drills, it’s best to practice too often rather than not enough.
Disaster Recovery Saves More than Data
When you think of disaster recovery, the first thing that likely comes to mind is a natural disaster. And when you think of a natural disaster, your mind goes to the tangible items that could be lost as that disaster runs its course. But unlike a disaster that takes out your house, an IT disaster damages much more than just the tangibles – in this case, your data and IT system.
If your systems are down for too long, the effects can be compounded – you lose more than just the original data or systems that have been corrupted. You can lose productivity, important incoming data, even customers. And ultimately, this damages your reputation externally as a business and internally as a leader in your company or departments.
Disasters Aren’t Static
Just as disaster recovery and cybersecurity protocols change over time, the disasters that your business may face will also evolve as time passes. I can’t imagine that anyone was wholeheartedly convinced that 2020 would bring with it one of the most deadly pandemics the world has ever seen, but that disaster has changed the course and the future of many industries – for better or worse.
As your disaster recovery plan is created and maintained, it’s important to continually consider new and different ways your data and assets are at risk.
Communication Structure Is Critical
Disaster recovery plans are only as good as the communication protocols that carry them out. Think of this in similar terms to the bystander effect – if everyone knows that a certain action needs to be taken, but no one knows who should be taking it or how it should be discussed and carried out, your plan is just a blueprint for failure.
When it comes to disaster recovery, you need to have a plan in place for what communication channels you and your department or teams will be using, as well as a backup communication channel, should your primary channel be rendered useless. You should also have an outline of who should be contacted for specific disasters or plan executions.
Choose the Best Recovery Plan for Your Future
Managed IT is the ultimate in people helping people. And at Verve IT, we provide disaster recovery and backup solutions that fit your business needs, as well as a host of other services from managed IT to cloud services, security, and strategic planning.
Verve is IT, simplified. Learn more about our managed IT services, or give us a call today at 209-244-7120.
