Why Your Business Needs a Disaster Recovery Plan

Catastrophe will strike, it’s just a matter of when. Here’s what to look for when weighing a DR Service Provider.

Hurricanes, floods, fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, even ransomware — these devastating events can strike almost without warning. Does your business have a plan to not only safeguard sensitive data but contingencies for recovery should a catastrophe occur?

Management should acknowledge their company’s potential exposure to disasters, natural and otherwise. These events can endanger the accessibility and support of an organization’s IT systems and networks.

It’s trite but true: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So how does a business protect the integrity of its IT processes before cataclysm strikes? An effective option is to collaborate with a reputable data center, one with the resources to protect valuable data while keeping it secure and accessible.

Now that you recognize the utility of a data center, what should you look for? Below is a laundry list of essentials your DR service should provide.

Proactive Planning for Emergencies

An effective disaster recovery plan starts long before storm clouds gather. You want your IT partner to customize a comprehensive and ordered strategy that maintains and monitors network infrastructure and ongoing processes. Too, your employees should be trained and evaluated on how to reduce or avert system downtime.

Proactive planning also encompasses preventive maintenance. Your DR provider should regularly schedule tests of fire detection/extinguishing systems, power supplies/generators and HVAC systems.

Redundancy and Safety

How do fiber optic networks provide such outstanding redundancy and protection? In large part, due to bidirectional line-switched architecture. This means that in the event of network element failure, optical signals can be rerouted, either with “protection” spare fibers or by backhauling.

You want the same from your DR provider. Does it offer alternative facilities should its primary data center be offline? Are their data centers sited to prevent damage from floods, fires, winds or earthquakes?

Power failures and loss of environmental cooling can wreak havoc on vulnerable infrastructure elements. Look for facilities with redundant uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), supported by generators that switch seamlessly online if utility power fails. Seek the same redundancy within the data center’s HVAC configurations.

Redundancy also includes instantaneous access to multiple “core” or “Tier 1” long-haul networks should the primary carrier interrupt service.

Facility Security

Is the DR provider’s data center monitored at all times? Are employees required to wear visible ID whenever onsite? Nowadays, constant surveillance of network assets is a must to maintain network integrity and data security.

Emergency Ops Team

Your DR provider should have a cross-trained and experienced emergency ops team in place, ready at a moment’s notice to restore operational functionality to networks and systems in case of a disaster. They are the “cavalry” riding to the rescue, freeing local employees to see after their families and homes.

Now that you know, consider Aperio IT as your partner in disaster recovery planning. We provide cloud hosting and backup services to small and mid-sized businesses like yours. It’s never too early to prepare before catastrophe strikes.

Contact us to learn more about planning your Disaster Recovery Plan with Aperio IT.