Having a disaster recovery plan in place is the best proactive IT management strategy a company can have. However, when the time comes to write out the plan, there are a lot of different things to think about. No two plans are the same, since each business has different goals, certain information they want to protect and more. Some business owners choose to write their disaster recovery plan on their own, while others use managed services to do it for them since they are the experts. If you choose the latter, you should still be heavily involved in the planning, so here are some things to consider.
Decide What Your Goal Is
Creating a disaster recovery plan just to have one won’t do you any good if an IT disaster strikes. Your goal should be to get your network and servers back up and running as quickly as possible following a cyber attack. Of course, the plan should include how you will retrieve backed up files, what to do when an attack occurs and many other details. When you work with your disaster recovery service, you can collaborate to determine the goals specifically for your company.
Determine RPO and RTO
The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) should be the basis of any good disaster recovery plan. RTO is the amount of time your business can be without your data in the event of an IT disaster. RPO is the amount of data that can be lost since your last backup. Both RTO and RPO will be discussed with your disaster recovery service, and can help you evaluate the current services you have to determine whether your needs are being met.
Backup Your Data
Having both onsite and offsite backups are important to cover all bases. There are numerous ways to backup your data, and the location of the backup is just as important as the frequency. It’s recommended to backup data at least once each day, or even more if your RPO is lower. Be sure to clearly lay out how you will retrieve your backed up files in your disaster recovery plan, and take a close look to see whether your current backup plan is sufficient.
Test Your Plan Early and Often
You can plan with your disaster recovery service as much as you want, but the plan won’t truly be in place until you’ve tested it early and often. Chances are there will be some bugs or loopholes that need to be worked out to achieve the desired results. And once those are fixed, continue testing the plan periodically so everyone in your organization always has the plan in mind and will know exactly what to do in the event of an IT emergency.
Single Point of Contact prioritizes disaster recovery plans for every client. These plans are some of the most important components of any business, as it can be the difference between a business thriving or failing if a cyber attack occurs. To learn more about our services and how we can help you effectively write, test and implement a disaster recovery plan, contact us at any time.
