If you have not devised a disaster recovery plan or have not revised your existing plan in a while, it is time to implement some core practices. Business disaster recovery practices are not created equal. Some have more importance and value than others. Let’s take a look at five of the most critically important disaster recovery practices that every business should have in place.
Delegate Disaster Recovery Responsibilities
When it hits the fan there should be no confusion as to who is responsible for what. Many business find it prudent to distinguish disaster recovery from continuity planning and assign each initiative to the appropriate parties. Define the goals and governance of disaster recovery actions according to each employee. Assign all pertinent aspects of technical recovery to those involved with disaster recovery efforts. This way, decisive action will be taken by the appropriately qualified individuals
Accessibility and Consistency are key to a Successful Disaster Recovery
Time is of the essence when disaster strikes. It is certainly important to develop a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. Yet the accessibility and consistency of this plan are also of the utmost importance. All of your planning will prove useless if the proper individuals can’t access specific documents and their protocols during a time of crisis. Organize all of your plans in an accessible file format and make it easily accessible. Keep the updated versions of these documents in the system to prevent employee confusion. Make sure the directions are clear so there is no question as to which protocols should be followed and the order in which they should be implemented.
Train Several Individuals on the Disaster Recovery Plan
Your organization will be in serious trouble if your sole disaster recovery specialist is inaccessible in the midst of a crisis. He might not be able to get to work due to the disaster. Perhaps he turned in his notice a month before a crippling hack was launched on on your system. This is precisely why several IT employees as well as a handful of trusted employees from other departments should be thoroughly trained on disaster recovery procedures.
Develop Contingency Plans
You can drastically reduce the odds of a devastating hack or other crisis by crafting contingency plans. Run tests and consider what should be done if your established protocols fail. Consider how your team would approach recovery in such an instance. Craft plans in the event that key personnel are not available. Let disaster recovery specialists alternate roles during practice sessions to improve your organization’s recovery dexterity.
Alternate Locations are Essential to Your Disaster Recovery Plan
Every disaster recovery strategy should detail how employees will remotely access data and where vulnerable equipment should be moved for data backup purposes. A secondary disaster recovery environment must be established. It should replicate your organization’s primary environment as best as possible. This way, employees can conduct recovery efforts even if the primary site is inaccessible. Test out remote access technologies like Outlook Web Access and virtual private networks (VPNs) so critical personnel can work from additional locations if necessary.
The IT pros at Gulf South Technology Solutions can help you formulate the best recovery plan for your business to make sure your data and information is safe from any possible disaster.
