Almost every organisation relies on technology, and an IT disaster may seem likely to have consequences you’d prefer not to contemplate. However, it is extremely important that you should do just that, focussing on solutions that will get you back up and running as fast as possible. With a well-defined IT disaster recovery plan in place, you can quickly recover from data breaches, server failures, concerted cyberattacks, and even natural disasters.
What Is an IT Disaster Recovery Plan?
An IT disaster recovery plan is a carefully considered and documented plan. It provides all the necessary steps to follow so that your organisation can get back to business as usual after an incident that cripples your IT systems and infrastructure.
In an emergency, everyone should know the procedures to follow, the tools to use, and who is responsible for each action. Your plan enables people to act calmly, efficiently, and effectively even in the face of an unforeseen disaster.
Keep your goals in mind. Your IT disaster recovery plan should keep downtime to the absolute minimum and prevent the loss of critical data. Redundancy is a key requirement. For example, you will store backups of data and have systems that can step in if components fail.
You may not need them when everything is going well, but in emergencies, redundant elements contribute to network resilience and can facilitate a smooth and rapid recovery.
Why You Need an IT Disaster Recovery Plan
You probably have a fair idea of the reasons why you need an IT disaster recovery plan, but running through them highlights why disaster preparedness is so important. Briefly, these are:
Limiting the Cost of Downtime
The cost of downtime depends on factors specific to your organisation. For any business, the cost not only applies to the operations that cannot be undertaken while systems are down, but also to the cost of handling the backlog afterwards. Those are only the direct costs, however. There are many indirect costs you may face, including loss of customer confidence.
Cyber Threat Preparedness
Your organisation may not have been subjected to a serious cyber attack or data security breach for years, but that does not mean you can rest on your laurels. The threat landscape is constantly evolving, and you may still find yourself in emergency response mode. For example, if you fall victim to a ransomware attack, your IT recovery plan can save the day.
Survival After Natural Disasters
It’s no surprise that we are witnessing an increase in natural disasters caused by extreme weather. Once again, having been safe in the past is no guarantee. Preparing your organisation to recover could be vital to your organisation’s ultimate survival.
Physical Failures Can Happen
Small failures and errors can lead to large consequences. Whether someone made a mistake, your software developed a bug, or your hardware failed, your teams should be ready to minimise the consequences of the disaster by acting quickly and deliberately.
Regulatory Compliance Failures Can Have Serious Consequences
Data protection is a key requirement for any organisation, and for some, being able to recover data may even save lives. For instance, healthcare data can help medical professionals to make the right decisions, so having an IT disaster recovery plan is sometimes a legal requirement.
Protecting Your Organisation’s Reputation
Goodwill is hard to gain and easy to lose. Basic reliability is fundamental to your organisation’s reputation. If your systems are down for an extended time, people may cease to trust you. Being able to recover quickly, regardless of the type of disaster you face, builds trust.
How to Build an IT Disaster Recovery Plan
Building a disaster recovery plan is not a once-off activity. You will need to review, test, and adjust it as you implement new systems, when new risks arise, and after each disaster recovery intervention. These elements will feature in each new iteration.
- Begin with a risk assessment: Identify possible threats your business may be exposed to. This includes several types of risk assessment. For example, a cyber security risk assessment has unique features that set it apart from a natural disaster or hardware failure risk assessment.
- Develop plans for different scenarios: The actions to take if your premises are flooded and you have to move operations to an alternate site will be very different from those you would implement in a cyber security disaster recovery plan. Develop a series of plans covering all the reasons you might experience an IT disaster.
- Business Impact Analysis (BIA): Identify which systems are critical to your operations and what constitutes “acceptable” downtime. This helps you to prioritise so that your teams remain focused on restoring critical systems first.
- Set realistic recovery objectives: These encompass both recovery time (how long) and recovery point (what elements) objectives. For instance, you may be able to wait weeks to recover non-critical IT elements, but you will want to restore crucial systems as quickly as possible.
- Determine data backup parameters: Not all your data is equally important, so you may have several sets of rules. In each instance, decide what data must be backed up, how often, where it will be stored, and how long it should be kept.
- Record hardware and software inventory and plan for failures: If software fails or hardware malfunctions, you need a backup plan and a clear road to recovery.
- Assign roles and responsibilities: Once you know what should be done, your task is not complete. Specify who should perform each task and who they should report to. IT disaster recovery plan checklists can help to keep everyone coordinated and on point.
- Develop a communication plan: After a disaster, you will have to communicate with employees, shareholders, customers, and even the press. Decide who should be informed of an IT disaster, how it will be communicated, and how to handle enquiries from interested outsiders.
- Provide for testing and revisions: Just as you would not consider having an untested fire emergency plan, your IT disaster recovery plan must be tested. Practice runs keep everyone prepared and help you to spot weaknesses. Set a policy for periodic testing and updates.
Advantex: Because IT Disaster Recovery Planning Requires Expertise
There is no doubt that preparing an effective IT disaster recovery plan requires in-depth expertise and knowledge. Apart from understanding IT threats, a thorough knowledge of new technologies that can automate routine maintenance tasks and speed recovery processes will be required. The skills needed span hardware, software, cyber security, network architecture, and more.
Call on Advantex as a global provider of advanced Network and IT infrastructure solutions. We partner with businesses across various industries to combat threats, provide real-time monitoring and round-the-clock support, and develop IT disaster recovery plans to cover nearly any contingency.
We work hard to remain on the cutting edge of the latest technology, and with us, your organisation will have access to best-in-class solutions. Face the uncertainties of the future with confidence when you work with Advantex.
