How to Develop a Disaster Recovery Plan
Data disasters do not discriminate based on the size of a business. In 2018, 58% of cyberattacks targeted small businesses. So, even if you’re a small- to medium-sized business owner, it is critical that you develop a disaster recovery plan (DRP). The most common reasons a data disaster occurs are human error, software corruption, a natural disaster, a power outage, or a cyberattack. It’s important to be prepared should you fall victim to one of these disasters, rather than scrambling to put an action plan together. Here are the five main components you need to develop a DRP.
- Establish a Team
Have you identified who will be responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining a DRP with clearly defined roles and responsibilities as well as procedures? If not, this should be your first action. The person in this role should be able to clearly communicate what’s going on to other team members or employees in the event of a disaster.
- Identify and Assess Risks
Your disaster recovery plan should identify and assess the risks to your organization. To start, you will need to consider all the scenarios that may result in a disaster and how they may impact your business. In addition, you will want to identify the required resources and strategies needed to recover.
- Address Critical Applications and Documents
Next, you need to address the critical applications and documents for your business. Take the time to evaluate your business processes to determine which are crucial to your operations. And remember, there is a balance here between short-term priorities, like generating revenue, and longer-term solutions to restore full functionality.
- Determine Backup and Storage Procedures
After you address your critical applications and documents, you need to outline backup procedures and storage procedures. Storage should include an off-site or Cloud solution. You will want to identify what to back up and how frequently, as well as determine who is responsible for those back-ups. This includes all the critical applications, documents, and risks outlined in the previous steps.
- Test Your DRP
Lastly, every plan must be tested and maintained. The DRP is a continual process of identifying risk and disasters or emergencies. These will continue to develop as your business and technology evolve. Not only do you need to keep the plan up to date, but you also need to update the team members in charge of the DRP regularly.
The good news is you don’t have to do this alone or spend your precious time and resources trying to build your plan. The IT Link provides highly customizable disaster recovery plans through an easy to use self-service online cloud portal. Plans can be tailored to your unique recovery and budget requirements. Get a free assessment of your current IT set-up and learn how The IT Link can help you today.