Disaster Recovery 100 Success Secrets - IT Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery planning and Services. Gerard Blokdijk

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ incident, called a disaster, which may hamper normal business operations. A disaster could be caused by floods, accidents, computer malfunctions, explosions, earthquakes, and many more other factors.

      This is why development of a Basic Disaster Recovery Plan is a fundamental responsibility of every organization.

      In the planning stage, there are some essentials points to consider. First and foremost, the plan must be approved by top management to ensure the highest level of commitment and ensure support in terms of resources and attention from management.

      Secondly, the plan must be based on and designed for the needs of the system in case disaster should happen. The so-called DRPs help guard against data loss with the use of backups sent offsite in regular intervals (compsed of software and data information) for data recovery; microfilm copies of files with the use of remote

      30

      backup facility); Storage Area Networks (SANs); surge protectors (for power control); use of an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) or back up generator; anti-virus software; and other security measures.

      Even fire prevention and protection may become necessary components of your Basic Disaster Recovery Plan.

      31

      How Do I Find a Reputable Contractor

      Disaster Recovery Specialist?

      Business and organizations that have undergone both or either man-made or natural adverse circumstances such as terrorism attacks, windstorms, bomb explosions and earthquakes should hire a reliable disaster recovery contractor. However, make sure to consult first any involved agency about the possibility of getting state aid so that an assessment of the damaged property can be done before any repairs are done on it.

      FHiorswt, cyaonu y hoauv fei ntdo as crreepeunt athbele ccoonnttrraaccttoorr,? w hether he is licensed or not. You can ask any of your neighbors who may have

      previously hired a disaster recovery contractor to repair damages like yours. You should ask for at least three references to see if the contractor has been able to commit to good job performance and charged a fair price from previous clients.

      You can call your local Better Business Bureau to check out their list of contractors acknowledged by the bureau to be reputable.

      Secondly, you should jot down any necessary licenses and certifications (such as insurance certification, working license, or building permits) which may be needed if you have to report problems that cropped up later. However, you should not sign any insurance settlements with any contractor.

      Thirdly, ensure that your signature on a bid does not constitute as an authorization to start the work with the contractor. Next, you must secure written contracts which will cover the scope of work, materials, costs and payment schedules. In making payments to contractors, it is suggested to pay them periodically (meaning, pay a fractional percent so they will start work and also as work progresses.)

      32

      In addition, purchase materials along with your contractor or pay the supplier directly. You should ensure that the repairs made follow the local building standards. You may hire a structural engineer to double-check the major repairs made before you make a final payment. Lastly, you should demand a release paper of lien from a contractor to protect yourself from any legal claims later on.

      33

      How is Critical Disaster Information

      Recovery Conducted?

      Okay, so disaster struck your data storage facility and now you need Critical Disaster Information Recovery to be conducted so that no further damage will be done to your data storage medium and your business continuity is not jeopardized. How does Critical Disaster Information Recovery proceed then?

      The Critical Disaster Information Recovery specialists will first ask you to hand over the affected medium to them for inspection.

      They will also create a copy of the medium and its contents to prevent wreaking further damage to that storage medium.

      Before you do this, it is important to have a legal agreement in place to protect the integrity of your data (especially if it is sensitive data, like personal information about clients and their financial transactions.)

      Only upon inspection will the Critical Disaster Information Recovery team be able to find out if the data can indeed be retrieved, how much of the data can be retrieved safely, how long the process will take, and how much to charge you for their services.

      Be prepared to pay a hefty cost for any Critical Disaster Information Recovery. In fact, it can be said that a disaster has a double whammy to it: you first get hit by a disaster which is costly in itself, and then you have to pay to recover your data which is equally or even more expensive to pursue. But compared to the cost of lost business due to loss of trust by present and future clients, corporations may prefer to invest in good Critical Disaster Information Recovery service anyway.

      Critical Disaster Information Recovery will have better odds of being successful if the process is initiated in a timely manner. It

      34

      also helps if your organization had a very detailed and systematic Critical Disaster Information Recovery plan in place before any threats hit the organization later on.

      35

      Disaster Recovery Measures in the

      Data Center

      The data center holds all valuable information that the company needs to ensure business continuity. However, there are times wherein threats may come along the way, which may cause losing every bit of information that is considered critical to business operations. Such threats vary from natural to human-inflicted errors. There are also some who intentionally steal such data and use them for their own good. Hackers can easily penetrate the data center if information security is not taken seriously.

      Having these possibilities in mind, most companies have resorted to data center disaster recovery aside from the usual countermeasures that are implemented to lessen, if not totally avoid the presence of threats. There are actually two steps to consider in starting the much needed data center disaster recovery plan for your organization.

      When dealing with data center disaster recovery, the first step to think about is the acceptable loss that the company can endure. Say for example, if you are working in a financial institution, is an hour good enough to restore lost data without really impacting the whole operation of the business?

      Though there may be protection that you can rely on from database backups, determining this will definitely guide you on what to do when a threat present itself unexpectedly.

      The second step would be checking if loss of access rights to the database is still be feasible for users in carrying out their day to day duties. By knowing this, you will be able to devise a strategy that has minimal impact to the business and to its users, but still restoring valuable data lost due to threats can still be performed.

      36

      This may seem challenging but getting the right information is the key to successful disaster recovery plans.

      37

      Data СКАЧАТЬ