How to Build a Disaster Recovery Plan

Data loss due to data breaches and disasters are on the rise in the world of IT, retailing, and every other business. Every organization is a potential target for data theft and data loss. Even the best security mechanisms are not 100% impenetrable.

Disaster recovery planning is a basic need of every organization. It has been observed that organizations that suffer a major incident of data loss never fully recover. In fact, 70% of them go out of business in less than a year.

This article is a basic guide for developing a disaster recovery plan that suits your business requirements and will help you in bouncing back to business in no time.

Planning Ahead

Planning is the first and the most important step in developing a disaster recovery strategy. Be prepared to take steps before the storm hits. Make sure your employees know what to do in the case of a security breach.

Having pre-defined mitigation strategies can make a huge difference to the extent of damage done. Gather a team of your best employees and entrust them with coming up with the best course of action to follow to execute these mitigation plans. Designate someone to oversee the process and to take charge in time of emergency.

Make sure everyone knows what actions are needed; who to contact immediately and who to get in touch with if the primary contact does not respond. Security breach and data loss incidents can be handled well if everyone works according to the plan. It is important to remain calm and work through a proper channel when dealing with an IT disaster.

Data storage and backup

Storing backups is your ticket to get back in business after the adversity. Critical data can always be lost, corrupted or stolen. Backup is a precautionary measure you must take. Various options are available in the market for data backup. Choose the option that meets all the requirements of your organizations.

Following steps can be taken in developing a data backup plan.

  • Identify the data that needs to be backed up and prioritize it. Make sure you go through all data on the networks, servers, desktop computer, and official laptops. Do not forget records and information that is printed.
  • Search the market for options for data storage and backup. Do a detailed market survey. Consider pros and cons of every available option. Keep business needs in mind at all times. Ask questions about how long it will take to recover the data and how it will be delivered.
  • Take your time to do the research and make sure you are choosing the best solution. A poorly chosen data backup method will be of little help in the time of need.
  • Go with the option that best caters to the needs of your organization.
  • Remember to set a backup time interval.

Backup options

  • Cloud Storage: You can opt to backup data on a cloud service. Cloud storage refers to outsourcing data storage to a third party provider that ensures security and availability of data. Data is stored in a remote location and is accessed through the internet.Explore and contact cloud service providers. Conduct meetings and finalize the cloud package according to your business needs. Make sure you always have a backup of important data on physical storage in case you face connectivity issues. Data stored on cloud cannot be accessed without a working internet connection.
  • In-house Data Center: Many organizations go for in-house data centers. In-house data centers refer to on-premise storage of data within organization’s local network. When choosing an In-house solution, make sure your backups are kept in different geographical locations to minimize the risk of data loss.

Recovery

The path to recovery begins with data tracking. Make sure you know where your data is and how to access it. Develop data recovery plans that specify which data should be recovered first.

Practice disaster drills to make sure everyone knows what to do when the disaster hits. Do an impact analysis of the incident and learn from your mistakes. Improve your data security policies if you find any flaws in it.

Make the smart choice of devising a disaster recovery plan for your business. Do not be afraid to invest in data storage and back up plans. You can recover in no time if you make data backups. When devising disaster recovering strategies, always remember to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Don’t Wait, Get Started!

Contact us to discuss the best approach for your business. Knowing that your systems are safe will help you sleep a little more comfortably, secure in the knowledge that the things that matter most to your company are well protected.