IT Consulting Services: Implementing a Disaster Recovery Plan
In recent years, major earthquakes have reminded companies of how quickly business can be brought to a halt by something that is difficult to forecast, and even more difficult to recover from: a natural disaster. Thankfully, natural disasters are few and far between, but it does not take an act of nature to cause the havoc an earthquake or flood can cause; a company's IT network can also be destroyed by a structural failure, a building fire, or a burst plumbing pipe. For most companies, the biggest risk associated with these events is not property damage, but data loss that results from property damage. That is why business owners should contact a managed services provider about IT consulting services for disaster recovery.
Implementing a Plan
Implementing a disaster recovery plan is a four-step process that contains several sub-steps. Below is a basic overview of the steps a company must take as it implements a recovery plan with the help of a disaster recovery consultant:
Building a Governance Structure
Because implementing a recovery plan requires careful technical and financial considerations, companies should start by forming support for the initiative. Ideally, support should come in the form of two committees: a working committee and an oversight committee. The former should be composed of key stakeholders who address the technical and financial concerns of the initiative. The latter should be composed of senior leaders who can help navigate the initiative past internal obstacles.
Selecting a Partner
The perspective of an expert in disaster recovery and business continuity can help build approval for the initiative, especially when the expert can provide examples of how similar companies have implemented a disaster recovery plan and benefited from it. A managed services provider that offers IT consulting services for disaster recovery is an ideal partner.
Developing a Plan and Strategy
Developing a plan and strategy begins with conducting a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) that shows how a disaster can impact the viability of the company. Results from the BIA help define Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) goals. Developing a strategy to reach these goals involves technological and financial considerations that an experienced partner can help the company address.
Execution and Maintenance
Developing and approving a recovery plan does not provide assurance that it will work. To ensure the plan is viable, it must be tested, updated when recovery needs change, and measured against RTO and RPO goals. An experienced partner can ensure the validity of the plan by testing it and providing additional consulting if the plan must be changed.
Conclusion
Preparing for unexpected changes in the business environment involves preparing for unexpected disasters. When companies lack a disaster recovery plan, they can easily go out of business due to a major loss. In fact, statistics show that only twenty-nine percent of companies that reopen in the wake of a disaster without a recovery plan are still in business two years later. A managed services provider that offers IT consulting services for disaster recovery can help companies mitigate the threat that disasters pose to business continuity.
Implementing a Plan
Implementing a disaster recovery plan is a four-step process that contains several sub-steps. Below is a basic overview of the steps a company must take as it implements a recovery plan with the help of a disaster recovery consultant:
Building a Governance Structure
Because implementing a recovery plan requires careful technical and financial considerations, companies should start by forming support for the initiative. Ideally, support should come in the form of two committees: a working committee and an oversight committee. The former should be composed of key stakeholders who address the technical and financial concerns of the initiative. The latter should be composed of senior leaders who can help navigate the initiative past internal obstacles.
Selecting a Partner
The perspective of an expert in disaster recovery and business continuity can help build approval for the initiative, especially when the expert can provide examples of how similar companies have implemented a disaster recovery plan and benefited from it. A managed services provider that offers IT consulting services for disaster recovery is an ideal partner.
Developing a Plan and Strategy
Developing a plan and strategy begins with conducting a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) that shows how a disaster can impact the viability of the company. Results from the BIA help define Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) goals. Developing a strategy to reach these goals involves technological and financial considerations that an experienced partner can help the company address.
Execution and Maintenance
Developing and approving a recovery plan does not provide assurance that it will work. To ensure the plan is viable, it must be tested, updated when recovery needs change, and measured against RTO and RPO goals. An experienced partner can ensure the validity of the plan by testing it and providing additional consulting if the plan must be changed.
Conclusion
Preparing for unexpected changes in the business environment involves preparing for unexpected disasters. When companies lack a disaster recovery plan, they can easily go out of business due to a major loss. In fact, statistics show that only twenty-nine percent of companies that reopen in the wake of a disaster without a recovery plan are still in business two years later. A managed services provider that offers IT consulting services for disaster recovery can help companies mitigate the threat that disasters pose to business continuity.
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For most companies, the biggest risk associated with data loss. Hence, business owners contact a managed IT support services provider for disaster recovery.
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