Do You Have a Computer Disaster Recovery Plan?

Technology is our friend in business or personal life and whether we like it or not, we are becoming more and more reliant on the services it provides and the freedom it represents. What should happen if something were to go wrong with this technology, though? All that information that is stored or accessed could be unavailable at the drop of a hat and if you do not have a contingency available, the very existence of your business could be at risk. A computer disaster recovery plan is a core component.

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.

Murphy’s Law tells us that what can go wrong, will go wrong and a list of potential problems that could face a company is quite frightening. Weather-related issues, fires, flooding or destruction, theft, malicious activities, virus infestation or simple failure are all waiting around the corner.

The computer disaster recovery plan should be well structured and have several sections. Firstly, it must outline who is ultimately responsible, followed by backup personnel who should be available if the primary person is not. Any external security consultants or companies and IT experts must be detailed and their contact information reviewed regularly.

So that you know what you are dealing with in the event of a problem, the computer disaster recovery plan should fully categorize all the information that is stored. Locations and hierarchical levels should be referenced and backup copies, URL addresses of providers maintained. The plan must show how data can be recovered should it be lost.

Large organizations will want to place priorities on recovery and the plan should outline what is critical and what is not. Time frames should be outlined and the consequences of delays clearly shown. Outline as many “what if’s” as possible.

The consequences of failure can in many cases be devastating. It is the responsibility of management to remind all staff of this and it would be a good idea to conduct a dry run, or a lifeboat drill as practice. There are a variety of different scenarios, but never forget that prevention is very important. There is an ever present threat of virus infestation these days, but with good practices this threat can be virtually eliminated. Vet your employees to make sure that they represent as low a threat as possible when it comes to potential spying or theft issues and try and limit access to critical data 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.

Expert writer Kiev C Brownlee has a lot more material about your computer disaster recovery plan options. Surf to KBCSI for all your IT management issues.