Businesses are built on Information Technology (IT) systems to effectively process data and provide valuable services to clients. Whether it is the use of email, accessing the Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephone system, or leveraging the data found on private servers, companies rely on various IT platforms to create, store, manage, and communicate vital business information. What happens when your IT systems stop working? What happens when disaster strikes and you aren’t prepared?
Understanding The Importance Of A Disaster Recovery Plan
A Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) should be developed to aid a business in the event of a natural, or other type, of disaster. This plan should work in conjunction with the business continuity plan, so that business can continue to effectively operate in “disaster mode.” A failure to create a DRP is a failure to properly ensure that your business will function during and after a disaster. This failure can result in:
- Large financial losses;
- Negative client impacts;
- A tarnished business reputation;
- The loss of vital business data;
- Increased vulnerabilities, which can lead to data theft; and
- The loss of costly hardware.
Convince Your CEO That You Need A Disaster Recovery Plan
When your network is down, everything is down. Employees can’t complete work, clients are frustrated, the company’s bottom line is affected, and communication is halted. With all of these negative possibilities looming, it’s time that you convinced your CEO about the importance of a DRP in three steps.
Estimate the Cost of Downtime
Instead of merely stating that “downtime is expensive,” provide your CEO with concrete figures on the exat impact to your business and clients. Calculate the cost of a network going down for an hour, day, and week. Within your calculations include the following information:
- Cost of employee wages and salaries;
- Cost of stopped services;
- Cost of lost client value; and
- Cost of IT recovery.
The hefty price tag associated with downtime should help your CEO realize that a DRP is essential.
Write A Draft DRP
Instead of presenting a DRP as an idea, take the time to write a draft DRP that your CEO can review. In addition to calculating the cost of not having an effective DRP, be sure to include the cost of each aspect of the plan, as well as how the plan will affect your IT budget.
Discuss More than Technology
While technology is an important factor in any DRP, it is not the only piece of information that you need to share with your CEO. Additional components that need to be considered include: financial, communication, and location. When an unexpected disaster strikes, you will need to keep the accounting department up and running, so that invoices and employees can be paid. Finally, whether it is through a phone tree or an external communication platform, the DRP must account for communicating effectively.
The Bottom Line: A Disaster Recovery Plan Reduces Risks Associated With A Down Network
Convincing your CEO that a DRP is a necessary business component should be made easier with the above three steps. Your CEO needs to understand that even the best-run organization cannot function if it doesn’t have a DRP. In short, the better your business is prepared, the easier it will be to mitigate the risks associated with an unexpected disaster.
