By Jeff Spalding
Peak 10

One of the most talked about but least implemented initiatives concerning IT infrastructure is the design and execution of a Disaster Recovery (DR) plan.  This is particularly relevant as hurricane season gets underway in the Atlantic.

Whether man-made or natural, disasters of all shapes and sizes represent costly disruptions to business practices.  Fortunately, their long-term effects can be diminished with a DR plan.

An especially crucial business tool in today’s increasingly electronic world, a DR plan enables a company to effectively coordinate people and resources to mitigate downtime or any other interruption to services and operations in the event of a disaster.

Benefits of a Disaster Recovery Plan

A University of Texas study revealed that half of the companies that lose their data through disaster never re-open, and of those who do re-open, 90 percent will be forced out of business within two years.

Disasters are inevitable and can strike at any time.  When it comes to anticipating such an event, expect the unexpected.  Natural disasters may churn up conversations about DR, but statistics show that adverse situations resulting from simple human error or technical failure are far more likely to take place.  These events can result in a crisis that is just as great a threat to your business’ mission-critical data.

A DR plan offers a proactive solution for times of instability.  Having a DR plan creates flexibility within an organization as it requires identifying alternatives for resources, strategies and solutions.  A good plan is one that has been tested over and over to ensure effectiveness.  Its success depends on high level of collaboration, initiative and ingenuity.

Performing a risk assessment can help to calculate the true cost of downtime for your company, and allows you to understand the importance of a DR plan.  It is important to determine your business’ level of disaster preparedness and identify potential areas for improvement

Designing a Replication Strategy

Companies who have ever experienced any type of downtime recognize that having data backed up at a secondary site is a powerful form of defense against data loss.  Offsite data backup at a secondary site is vital, but is only one piece of the puzzle.

A full replication strategy includes planning for how you restore your data from the secondary site to the workplace after the crisis has concluded.  In order to enjoy such a complete business continuity solution, you might consider:

• Designing a current, written and tested DR plan.
• Informing hardware, software, facilities and service vendors of the plan and their expected roles at that time.
• Backing up data on a regular basis at a geographically remote, hardened data center.
• Having a firewall and virus protection in place monitored regularly by expert engineers.

The Power of Data Center Networking

Simply storing your mission-critical data at a secure data center represents a large step toward avoiding the ill effects of disaster.  A world-class facility is capable of providing IT infrastructure and resources that many companies are unable to duplicate in-house.  Selecting the right data center partner is an important consideration because it can provide facility integrity, connectivity and even technical support that is crucial for disaster preparedness.  When considering a data center partner, you might want to reflect on the following:

• Choose a data center that monitors and manages all conditions such as temperature, humidity and power conditions, and has multiple levels of security.
• Ensure that you have fully conditioned power to all of your hardware and redundant power with a UPS and generator.
• Critical systems should be tested on a regular basis and scheduled maintenance performed frequently.
• Multiple connections to a network service provider and multiple Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are essential.

Taking Pride in Your Team

Perhaps the most overlooked and underrated aspect of a successful DR plan is the people who make up your company.  During a crisis, the typical volume of calls and transactions increases threefold.  Employees who can approach a disaster with preset expectations will be more likely to handle the situation with flexibility and composure.  Their positive energy and attitudes will go a long way toward helping your company to recover as quickly and efficiently as possible.  To successfully prepare personnel for disaster, consider the following:

• Design a DR plan with your employees in mind, making sure that roles are clearly outlined and communicated.
• Assign a designated recovery site for your people and determine whether or not staff members would be willing to relocate.
• Test your DR plan to ensure that all initiatives and expectations are clear.
• Provide each staff member with a clearly documented version of the written DR plan for reference.

The Best Defense: A Good Offense

At Peak 10, we provide our clients with the resources and technical expertise to help implement the best solution for avoiding business interruption caused by disaster and to recover as quickly and efficiently as possible.  We know that being prepared in advance makes a world of difference when it comes to managing your business in the face of disaster.  Having a DR plan will keep your IT infrastructure from being compromised and your company up and running.  It is essential to design a plan that is appropriately tailored to your company and leverages the best methodology for your business and type of data.  Pre-consideration of your company’s priorities and best practices allows for clear, logical thinking when disaster does strike.  Proactive measures like these will allow you to implement the best solution when it comes to avoiding business interruption caused by disaster.

Click here to download Peak 10′s DR checklist to help determine your business’ disaster recovery preparedness and identify potential areas for improvement.

Jeff Spalding serves as the executive vice president of Market Operations for Peak 10, a managed services company with world-class data centers. The company delivers scalable, economical and reliable solutions for hosting and managing complex IT infrastructure. Peak 10 owns and operates data centers in 10 key markets that include Cincinnati, Ohio; Atlanta, Ga.; Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C.; Tampa, Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; Louisville, Ky.; and Richmond, Va. Jeff can be reached at jeff.spalding@peak10.com.  For more information see: www.peak10.com.

 

Southeast Venture Conference, February 29 – March 1, 2012 at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, VA – Where Smart Money Meets Smart People.
www.seventure.org

© 2010, TechJournal South. All rights reserved.

Tags: Disaster preparations, FL, Georgia, Jeff Spalding, NC, Peak 10, TN