Do you have a first aid kit at home or at your place of business? Does your business have a disaster recovery plan in place as part of a broader business continuity plan? If not, you should think about this very seriously. The time to figure out how best to deal with an emergency situation is not when smoke is spewing out of your server room.
In any defensive planning scenario, it is important to know that when the stress is on, your ability to perform goes down. It is also important to remember that down time costs money, sometimes lots of money. So, what should you do?
Well, before there is an emergency, allot some time for your IT staff to meet and create a scenario based disaster recovery plan. They should brainstorm the "what", "when" and "how" of several types of disasters. Then they should plan out and document the steps they should take to remedy those types of disasters.
Now wait. Before implementing anything, set those plans down for a day and have your team go eat pizza. When they come back to the meeting, they should now consider Mr. Murphy's plans to thwart their attempts at preventing/mitigating disaster. This is the "plan B" phase. Plan for what to do when plan A fails. Why? Because Mr. Murphy's job is to make sure you plan fails. Thinking about how your plan could go wrong will help you avoid Mr. Murphy and his darned law.
Make your plan A, AND your plan B. Now, document what you need to do to prepare for this. Do you need additional hardware or software? What about training? Document it all and what it means if the pieces are not in place. What "pain" are you trying to prevent or alleviate? During the final stages, you may want to include someone from the business side in the meeting. Now present it to the people in your company who can approve your budget (if any). Let's face it, you have first aid kits in your home and office for a reason. Don't neglect you IT first aid kit.
* This article does not describe the details of the process and the mechanics for a reason. Every business will have a unique environment and differing needs. You should consult with your IT staff or a consultant to analyse your environment before you create a disaster recovery plan and/or business continuity plan.
In any defensive planning scenario, it is important to know that when the stress is on, your ability to perform goes down. It is also important to remember that down time costs money, sometimes lots of money. So, what should you do?
Well, before there is an emergency, allot some time for your IT staff to meet and create a scenario based disaster recovery plan. They should brainstorm the "what", "when" and "how" of several types of disasters. Then they should plan out and document the steps they should take to remedy those types of disasters.
Now wait. Before implementing anything, set those plans down for a day and have your team go eat pizza. When they come back to the meeting, they should now consider Mr. Murphy's plans to thwart their attempts at preventing/mitigating disaster. This is the "plan B" phase. Plan for what to do when plan A fails. Why? Because Mr. Murphy's job is to make sure you plan fails. Thinking about how your plan could go wrong will help you avoid Mr. Murphy and his darned law.
Make your plan A, AND your plan B. Now, document what you need to do to prepare for this. Do you need additional hardware or software? What about training? Document it all and what it means if the pieces are not in place. What "pain" are you trying to prevent or alleviate? During the final stages, you may want to include someone from the business side in the meeting. Now present it to the people in your company who can approve your budget (if any). Let's face it, you have first aid kits in your home and office for a reason. Don't neglect you IT first aid kit.
* This article does not describe the details of the process and the mechanics for a reason. Every business will have a unique environment and differing needs. You should consult with your IT staff or a consultant to analyse your environment before you create a disaster recovery plan and/or business continuity plan.
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