If your business relies on technology tools, it is important to have a plan for what to do if they fail. 2020 taught us that anything is possible. At Symmetric IT Group, we can work with you to ensure you are prepared for anything in 2021 by developing and implementing Disaster Recovery Plans to ensure that when catastrophe happens, you are prepared.
When you experience technology outages or failures, a Disaster Recovery Plan, details how to circumvent the issue and regain control over the situation. With a good Disaster Recovery Plan if something happens, your business will be able to take it in stride with minimal interruption.
For example, if you have an effective Disaster Recovery Plan for data loss, you should be able to quickly recoup the lost information, and the crisis can be averted. Losing your data can halt your business operations. Here is what we do with our clients to ensure they have a backup plan in place:
The Key Components Of A Disaster Recovery Plan
In a data loss scenario, we plan to restore your data via a recent backup that is stored in a different location. We use these steps to determine what exactly we need a backup solution to accommodate.
1. Identify where all the important data is located.
Half the battle is knowing where everything is and recognizing what you will need to back up. Common important data locations include emails, file servers, hard drives, and cloud storage locations.
2. Determine the necessary Recovery Time Objective (RTO).
Based on the type of data, you may need to recover it faster than others in order to effectively respond to the crisis, and keep operations running. Knowing how fast you need the information recovered informs what solutions we will recommend.
3. Discuss how much data can you stand to lose.
Determining your Recovery Point Objective (RPO) will help you prepare for what you will lose if you have to pull your backup data. Data backup services back up data on different intervals, so depending on what you choose, you could lose a couple hours or a couple days of data.
4. Choose where your backup will be stored.
It is best practice to store your backup data in at least two separate places to ensure it is safe. However, we recommend the 3-2-1 method. This means you have three copies of your data, two can be stored in your central infrastructure, but one is kept off site in a data center or cloud storage facility. Also, consider the level of security these backup locations should have based on the sensitivity of your data and any compliance standards you might need to meet.
5. Estimate the amount of space you will need for your backup storage.
If your industry has data retention requirements, you could eventually have 10 years’ worth of data that you need to keep safe and protected. Make sure to choose a solution that can accommodate this need.
6. Plan for regular testing of your backup solution.
Once we have determined a solution that is the best fit for your business’ needs, we regularly test it to make sure that all is working well, and your data backups aren’t failing.
Working with an IT provider can help ensure you get the correct solutions in place so that if disaster strikes, you can easily navigate the fallout. If your business could use help creating Disaster Recovery Plans, we would be more than happy to help you out. You can book a call with us via the link below.
