Data backups provide copies of your essential files, allowing for a full restore. This process may sound very straightforward but it can be quite complicated. First, there are several storage systems you can choose from to manage your backups, including remote backup, online backup, offsite backup, differential backup, cloud backup, and more. Using a variety of data backup methods can be incredibly valuable. In addition to different backup options, the process used to create the backups can vary.
In the end, the data backup solution you choose is only helpful if you and your employees understand the strategy behind it.
That’s where a disaster recovery plan comes in.
At TechBldrs, we can help you create a disaster recovery plan that will include important data backup options, and how to access business data in the event of a disaster.
While you may have a specific data backup strategy, responding to a disaster means you must prepare for the worst. During a disaster, who will be in charge of getting the applications back online? If there’s a data breach, how will you manage customer relations?
Disaster recovery plans allow you to bypass a failing primary environment and utilize an alternative virtual environment to run your company during an unexpected event. Data backup can provide fast access to restoring files, but it doesn't provide a way to access those files if your primary environment has been interrupted due to a natural disaster, breach, or attack.
When you create a recovery strategy, you must also create a verification and testing protocol, align your disaster recovery strategy with your backup policy, and determine application priority.
70% of companies have or will experience data loss that’s due to fire, viruses, system failure, deletion, or another type of disaster. Backing up important data and critical applications makes sense. Critical data and applications should be backed up more often than less essential data.
However, it’s important to have a strategy behind how and what you choose to backup your data.
The data backup process and recovery plans are about solution versus strategy. The disaster recovery process is very strategic and is dependent on completing a business impact analysis and risk assessment that will allow the IT experts at TechBldrs to identify critical IT services and applications.
Next, recovery time objectives and recovery point objectives must be created based on a company’s unique work environment. After these steps have been completed, the process of developing a disaster recovery plan can begin.
While the difference between data backups and disaster recovery plans is clear, the next part of the process involves leveraging those differences to create a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy that will include response protocols, disaster prevention strategies, and a backup policy.
Keep in mind, 50% of companies without a disaster recovery plan will fail because they were unprepared. Preparing for the worst by creating a disaster recovery plan before disaster strikes will give your company the best chance of successfully recovering after a disaster.
The team at TechBldrs can help by providing critical assessments, designing and managing your disaster recovery plan, identifying any technical issues, and monitoring systems for both external and internal disaster events.
Companies without any disaster recovery options who suffer major disasters are typically out of business within twelve months.
Fortunately, there are many ways a recovery plan can protect your company in the event of a disaster, including:
If your company doesn't have a disaster recovery plan, and/or you’re concerned about your data backup methods, contact the IT experts at TechBldrs today to schedule a consultation. We can meet with you to discuss your needs and work closely with you to create a disaster recovery plan that’s specifically tailored to your growing business.
Contact us today to schedule your consultation.
A disaster recovery plan includes a detailed documented process for a company’s data recovery strategy and procedures that are tailored to the needs of your company that are designed to protect your business from any type of serious and expensive disaster.
At TechBldrs, our disaster recovery services guarantee faster recovery and lower downtime for your company, in the event of a manmade or natural disaster. Our disaster recovery process can help you return essential applications to production faster. Most large corporations rely on these types of disaster recovery services. However, these services are more important for small and medium-sized businesses that do not have the expertise or resources to create an effective disaster recovery plan.
The four phases of a disaster recovery plan includes:
A DR plan includes:
At TechBldrs, our team has the IT experience and expertise needed to develop a hassle-free, backup strategy and recovery plan that’s tailored to your business. Our team will provide you with a data recovery plan that ensures you can recover your data within the shortest amount of time possible.
The strategy used will be designed to fit the needs of your unique business. The first step is taking a close look at your systems to determine what your security requirements are, identifying key business processes and systems and learning what type of data you store. We’ll also consider other factors that will help us create the best data recovery strategy for your growing business.
Below, you'll find the steps we'll take to identify recovery objectives and key business systems and processes.
During the planning process, a business impact analysis will allow us to design a plan that will have your business up and running as quickly as possible after a disaster.
A business impact analysis identifies your company’s key functions, and critical system operations and processes, then prioritizes those functions based on their impact on finances and operations.
The next portion of the plan will involve identifying recovery point objectives and recovery time objectives.
Here, our team will set a target for how quickly your key systems and services should be fully operational after a disaster. The target times are based on the cost of downtime per system, in addition to what your company is able to budget for disaster recovery.
For each service, we can set the recovery point objective. Recovery point objectives determine the backup frequency. If your business cannot lose any data at all, all changes must be immediately replicated. Fortunately, there are many backup options available. Our team will help you choose the perfect option for your company, based on your unique company’s needs and your budget.
Identifying how and where your data is stored is important. For each of your services, you must document where the data is stored, such as cloud services or if it’s stored on a server or workstation. With this information, our disaster recovery team can determine the best solution for backup and restoration in the event of a disaster.
A business resumption plan describes how your business will continue to operate if a disaster strikes. This phase of the plan will also include the resources needed to maintain your company’s key functions, such as utilities, equipment, vital records, and work location. Creating a business resumption plan ensures your company experiences the lowest amount of downtime possible and allows your company to continue to operate without major interruptions.
Your business disaster recovery program should also include staff training. Each staff member on your team should be trained on what to do in the event disaster strikes, such as a cyber attack.
Implementing a disaster recovery strategy is the perfect way to ensure valuable data is protected. Unfortunately, many small businesses don’t think about what would happen if their accounting files or customer data became corrupted and was unrecoverable, or what they would do if a computer that contained sensitive data was stolen. Other issues, such as hardware breakdown, natural disasters, and other critical circumstances can end up flushing out a company’s entire data.
These situations happen to businesses every day. Hard drives fail or files become corrupt. An important folder may have been deleted accidentally, or a server collapses. Ransomware cyber attacks are also a major concern.
Because of this, you need to ensure that your company is prepared for any type of disastrous event. By creating an IT disaster recovery plan:
At TechBldrs, we can:
Typically, you must backup business data daily. However, due to financial and time restraints, daily backups may not be possible. With our backup strategy, you won’t have to worry about spending all day backing up vital company data.
We use RestartDR, a data backup and business resumption service that provides physical and cloud-based backup. Our IT techs will closely monitor your systems to look for equipment failure, cyber threats, and other issues.
Business recovery plans must be adopted throughout the company, to be effective. In-house staff must be trained in their individual roles and in cybersecurity awareness, in the event disaster strikes. Our team can train your staff one-on-one or in a group setting. The goal is to have every staff member prepared for the worst, to get your business up and running smoothly, with as little downtime as possible.
Creating a unique disaster recovery plan for your business may seem daunting, but you don’t have to go it alone. The experts at TechBldrs can help you set up and manage a disaster recovery plan that will keep your important business data protected while minimizing downtime in the event of a disaster. By proactively developing a disaster recovery plan or updating your current recovery plan, you will minimize potential disruption and protect your business. If you’re ready to create your plan, contact the team at TechBldrs today to schedule a consultation.