Let’s discuss creating a disaster recovery plan for IT systems.
In the modern world, most businesses are reliant on resilient IT systems, that ‘just work’. It is the invisible force behind your card payments, case management, data processing, communication and presentation, among others. But what happens when it fails? How do these firms continue to operate without their core IT services?
The short answer is, they don’t. Fusion’s Private Cloud service boasts 99.9% uptime. But what about the 0.1%, if it ever happens? That’s why it’s crucial to have a plan in place, driven by IT, to get your IT systems back up and running if disaster strikes, as we have.
1. Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan for IT Systems – Minimising Downtime
The immediate impact of a disaster is the potential for significant downtime. Every minute counts, and for every minute your team are unable to operate, potential revenue is lost, and time is wasted. You won’t be able to help your clients, and if your clients aren’t looked after, you’ll damage your reputation. So, how do you prepare for that?
“You minimise downtime at all costs and invest in a robust Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan“
It might be redundant servers, that failover to each other if the primary goes down. Backup internet lines, that act very much in the same way, to keep your team and services online. It’s ensuring backups are taken every night, that can be restored from. It’s establishing recovery time objectives with your IT provider, with named responsibilities and parties, so that everyone understands the part they play. It’s regular IT downtime testing, to put your solution into action and ensure it’s as resilient as it can be.
2. Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan for IT Systems – Protecting Data
Data is your most valuable asset, alongside your people. Losing it can have catastrophic consequences. Cyberattacks, hardware failures, or even natural disasters can compromise your most sensitive information, leading to financial losses and legal ramifications. Can you imagine losing your only copy of every invoice you’ve ever sent? It would be disastrous!
Having a plan to manage data recovery helps your business maintain industry compliance to mandate data protection. If you prioritise data protection in your Disaster Recovery planning, you minimize your own risk exposure should the unthinkable happen.
Thankfully, there are plenty of cost-effective options to keep your data safe. Regular back-ups following the 3-2-1 methodology (Three copies, two different formats, one off-site) will ensure your data is safe even in the event of loss. Here are Fusion, we offer a robust cloud backup solution, bringing about the peace of mind you need, that your data is secure.
3. Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan for IT Systems – Risk Mitigation
Identifying and mitigating risk is the core component of an effective disaster and business continuity plan. Sadly, the modern world is plagued with a myriad of risk, from technical failure, environmental threats to human error, the landscape constantly changes. A thorough risk assessment is the first step in developing your Disaster Recover Plan, allowing your business to understand your vulnerabilities and manage an appropriate strategy.
Taking a protective and pro-active approach with your IT supplier not only prepares your business for disruption but helps to foster a culture of awareness. Every member of your team should know something about your Disaster Recovery plan. Regularly reviewing and updating your plan with your IT provider will minimize potential risk and keep your solutions in line with modern technology. If anything is worth investing in, it’s this!
Our IT Management and Tech-Ops teams are industry experts in maintaining IT Disaster Recovery and cyber-security. If you think your plan needs work, get in touch!
4. Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan for IT Systems – The Plan
Systems aside, what should your Disaster Recovery Plan actually look like?
For starters, responsibilities should be clearly laid out, so that everyone involved knows their part. How to communicate with clients and how to steer your team internally are just two of the important tasks required when your business is unable to operate. It needs clear, confident decision makers from both your own business and your IT provider, to shoulder the responsibility of action. It needs confidence and faith from your senior team that you have the right people for the job.
It also needs recovery time objectives (RTO’s) and recover point objectives (RPO’s) to set measurable goals for how quickly operation can resume. It might even take a staged approach – you might get your accounts team back online first to take payment. You might then look at your phones. Planning out what order to bring things back in, in order of importance and impact to your business, is crucial!
To summarise
This all sounds very ‘doom-and-gloom’, I know. We all hope that we never have to act upon a Disaster Recovery Plan. However, it’s better the prepare for failure, than fail to prepare. In an era where technology drives business success, the significance of Disaster Recover cannot be overstated.
By focusing on minimising downtime and protecting your data, you’ll be able to create a disaster recovery Plan for your IT System, bringing your business back into operation, should anything fail. Investing in solutions and strategy is sure to safeguard your business, and give all parties a fighting chance!
If you’re interested in a Disaster Recovery Solution, or think your kit needs a bit of work, please reach out!
