The news these days is filled with coverage of natural disasters from coast to coast: destruction left in the path of a hurricane, entire towns submerged in floods, and fires tearing through enormous tracks of land. Plus, there are tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes…the list goes on and on. While we often think about protecting our homes and businesses from these forces of nature, how often do you think about protecting your data?
Your IT Disaster Recovery Plan Should Prepare for It All
Tremendous amounts of data are collected, transmitted, and stored every day to facilitate commerce, connectivity, business processes, and the smooth function of society. All that data must be stored somewhere. But what happens when a natural disaster impacts your data center or on-premise infrastructure? Having a detailed and appropriate-for-your-organization disaster recovery plan is crucial to keeping business up-and-running and the mission moving forward.
Pro tip: What goes into an effective disaster recovery plan? We’ve outlined the critical elements every plan should cover.
It’s worth noting that a solid disaster recovery plan doesn’t just mitigate the risks of natural disasters. It also addresses threats that stem from inside the organization, like a disgruntled employee, and technological issues such as a disrupted connection to the server, hacker, or malware. No matter the source, threats can emerge quickly and leave lasting (and costly) damage to your operations and reputation. Your disaster recovery plan should include any scenario that might threaten the availability of data and IT infrastructure.
The Benefits of a Disaster Recovery Plan
When disaster strikes, make sure your organization is prepared with a thorough disaster recovery plan and the right team in place to carry it out. A disaster recovery plan allows you to:
- Ensure business continuity and keep core systems and processes functioning;
- Minimize disruption to customer interactions and employee communications;
- Limit damages to physical and digital infrastructure; and
- Get back to business in less time, at less cost, and with fewer headaches.
If putting together comprehensive procedures, policies, and processes to limit the impact of a natural or man-made disaster seems like a daunting challenge, you might consider investing in a Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) solution. DRaaS helps many organizations alleviate the burden on internal IT departments and be better prepared in worst-case scenarios. Just getting started? Here’s what to look for in a DRAAS provider.
Disaster recovery helps you regain access and functionality across the enterprise – and we’re here to help! GovDataHosting has decades of experience in cost-effective disaster recovery managed services, including planning, documentation, and testing. Get in touch to find out how we can protect your most valuable assets.
