As we become more and more reliant on levels of technology to help us operate our business or personal life, we often ignore at our peril the "what if" scenarios. Our use of this digital technology to help us function and to store all our information carries with it an implied risk -- should something go wrong, you had better be sure that you have a contingency in place. The computer disaster recovery plan is essential and could even be life saving for the business.
The more complex your business, the more detailed your computer disaster recovery plan should be. Management ignores the upkeep of this plan at its peril. Remember that a plan is not a one time task, but must be maintained as a business grows or diversifies. The plan should not be an afterthought, it should be a core component and a critical document in itself.
A whole list of potential problems can be around the corner and as Murphy's Law tells us, whatever could go wrong, will go wrong! In addition to the theft or other malicious activities, the download of a virus could be very problematic. Fire, flooding or weather-related issues could arise or the system could simply fail.
When a computer disaster recovery plan is first constructed, it should contain several critical sections. At the top of the list should be contact information for primary personnel, together with the information for backup employees should the primary be unavailable. If the company employs external security or IT consultants, their details including after hours, should be contained and all information reviewed monthly.
It is important to understand the scope of the problem and the computer disaster recovery plan must categorize and detail all the information at risk. List all locations and hierarchies and point to backup copy locations, names and URL addresses of providers. The plan must detail how each element of data can be recovered in the event of loss.
Large and more complex companies will need to prioritize and thus the plan should detail criticality. It will also be important to outline the consequences of delay and the various time frames that should be adhered to if at all possible. Remember that there could be public relations consequences to address as well.
The threat of failure should never be taken lightly as it could mean the existence of the business. Management must constantly remind staff of this issue and it is often a good idea to conduct a drill of some kind to highlight any imperfections in the plan. Remember that prevention is very important. Viruses are ever prevalent, but the good news is that sentries are also very sophisticated. Good practices can almost eliminate this threat. Before you allow any employees access to critical data, make sure that you have vetted their backgrounds and limited the possibility of theft or espionage as much as possible.
There are a variety of organizations that are skilled in computer disaster recovery plan composition and also in the areas of backup itself. As a business becomes more complex, management should seek out such help and view it as an investment in the future of the company.
Data recovery is a complex and important subject. Learn more about compiling a computer disaster recovery plan. Kiev C Brownlee at KBCSI can answer all your IT management questions.
