Creating a Strategic IT Disaster Recovery Plan

Most companies are unprepared for disasters because they are not planned. While a business may be good at taking charge of what is expected, events such as hurricanes or fires cannot be planned for. Here’s how to create a strategic IT disaster recovery plan.

What’s At Risk

In the situation that disaster strikes, your business has the potential to have an extended period of downtime. Anything that is involved in the operation of your business is at risk. While specific functions might come to mind, it’s the ones you're not considering that are probably most crucial. Yes, your email will be unavailable, your phone systems will be down, but also your paper documents are vulnerable. If you are unable to access your office, any important documents may be underwater, in the case of a flood, or destroyed by a fire. To help create a plan for these risks, work with a managed IT service.

Preparing for Disaster

To secure yourself from the risks of disasters, you need a recovery plan. Your plan should include strategies to run your business from a remote area as well as protect information in a digital format. Involving the help of managed IT services before a disaster is your best bet. They will provide a cloud service that will allow you to operate your business from an offsite server. They can also assist in transitioning your documents to the cloud so that you have a back up of information.

Other Recovery Strategies

In addition to IT solutions, you should have a plan for a comprehensive spread disaster. If email is unavailable, have phone numbers ready and accessible. This will keep customers, suppliers, and employees in the know. Before an emergency, assign roles and time frames for procedures. This will minimize the amount of chaos that is inevitable with a disaster. It’s also beneficial to run disaster simulations to give everyone a sense of intensity.

To learn more about creating a strategic IT disaster recovery plan, call us today!