Disaster Recovery Plan: 8 Points to Consider
With Covid-19 gripping many businesses around the world, we’re receiving a crash course in the importance of a Disaster Recovery Plan. Within a matter of weeks, we went from a free-flowing economy with no real work restrictions to a suffocating lockdown. Over the summer we experienced a glimmer of hope when the economy slowly opened back up. But flu season has descended upon us and cases have started increasing again. We’re now facing the possibility of another lockdown. Some companies are prepared, but others are not.
Natural Disasters & Other Random Events
The pandemic isn’t the only disaster that can affect business continuity. Have you thought through the wider variety of disasters that could hit your company? The following situations can happen to any business:
- Servers crash and systems go down
- Sprinkler systems malfunction and water intrusion ruins computers, printers, or other business devices
- Severe storm weather knocks out the power, and the power company takes a few days to repair it
- A thief breaks in and steals your equipment
- Construction crews accidentally cut the power to your office and you’re down until they can repair it
Those Who Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail
Do you have a recovery plan if any of these disasters hit your office? The best way to prepare is to create a plan that is customized to your company. Customized plans are better than a one-size-fits-all approach. Every company is unique. Each has critical business operations that need to be accounted for in the event of a disaster. A good IT Service Company can help you explore the questions and answers relevant to your business.
8 points to consider for your disaster recovery plan
Risk Analysis
What are your critical operations? Prioritize them so you know which to address first in the case of an emergency.
Recovery Time
Timewise, how much wiggle room does your company have before all hell breaks loose? Know your maximum downtime.
Compliance
Does your recovery plan meet with PCI, HIPPA, or other compliance rules you have to follow?
Disaster Recovery Team
Does everyone in the office know who will have the authority to make the decisions when in an emergency? Who are the go-to people when disaster strikes? This all should be decided in your disaster recovery plan.
Critical Information
Keep critical information like primary contacts and account numbers available in a safe place. When computers and other electronic devices go down or you can’t work from your office, how will you access this critical information? Think cloud backups.
Communication Plan
How will you communicate if your office computers and phones go down? Do you have a list of employee cell phone numbers available, so communication is not completely cut off?
Working from Home
If you and your employees can’t come to the office for an extended period of time, where can you temporarily set up your workstations? What technical support will you need to make this happen safely and effectively? An important part of a disaster recovery plan is having the process and technology in place for employees to work from home beforehand.
Review Your Plan
Employees come and go. Business roles, contact information, and accounts change. Review your plan regularly. Are employees who are named in the plan still with the company? Are account numbers and contact information current?
Business continuity is about maintaining critical business operations even when faced with long-term interruptions. Most of us were caught off guard when COVID-19 hit. We have faced this disaster for the past 10 months. We’re now wide awake and a little wiser.
We don’t know how long we will have to do business in this locked-down economy. We’re unsure if it will get worse. We can’t be certain when other random disasters will hit. But we can increase confidence and security by creating a solid disaster recovery plan. This is the best solution to reduce risk, data loss, and network downtime.
Integrinet IT can help you develop a customized disaster recovery plan for your business.
