|
Disaster
Recovery Planning – Is it necessary?
by Jerry Adcock
If a
disaster were to hit your business would you be prepared? Most
businesses, especially small businesses, would not. Only a small
number of companies today have a formal disaster recovery plan (DRP)
in place. Such a plan saves hundreds, even thousands of dollars for the
company. Should the company experience a disaster, in a
worst-case scenario a DRP may even save the company itself.
What, would
constitute a disaster? The answer may seem obvious; fires
floods, and burglary. But there are other events that can
adversely affect your ability to conduct business. Volcanic
eruptions and the accompanying dust and/or earthquakes, can wipe
out a company, as can computer crashes and even some computer
viruses. Since these events may also impact your business they
too should be considered disasters. But why do you need a DRP?
Why should you have a formal one written up?
Failing to
plan is planning to fail. Not having a specific outline of what
to do in the case of a disaster leaves too many issues open to
conjecture. With a good DRP in place, your company is much more
likely to survive a serious interruption in business. A written
formal DRP is much more likely to be followed than one that has
never been formalized. This is one of the major reasons why
large corporations spend millions of dollars annually on
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity planning. It doesn’t
take a lot of money, however, to have a good DRP. There are
plenty of places on the web that offer sample plans, and great
articles on how to plan for the inevitable. If you don’t have
a DRP in place or even if you currently have one, here are some
issues to consider, which may help you
First,
review your insurance policy. Does it provide for loss of income
after a disaster? What kinds of disasters are covered? Will it
provide for equipment replacement and especially will it provide
for equipment rental and software while you try to get your
business running again. Will it cover re-entering lost
electronic data, which can be very time consuming? The standard
business insurance policy is mainly for liability and personal
property and does not cover these other areas. For complete
coverage you need to add riders to your policy that will address
these contingencies.
Next,
outline what disasters can be reasonably expected to occur in
your area, including computer viruses, and plan for them. For
instance, if your building burns down, you’ll want something
in writing that states where you’ll set up your temporary
offices and who to contact to do so, where you’ll get your new
computers, etc. You might also include a checklist of agencies
to contact, such as your insurance agent, Phone Company, DSL
provider, and the post office. The purpose of the list is to
allow you to transfer the necessary services and functions to
your new location, in an orderly manner. Going by a checklist
also ensures that nothing is left out. If it’s equipment or a
service you need in order to run your business, put it on the
checklist.
Many
will find this task very time consuming and daunting. But if you
need motivation to get it done, write down the impact one or
more of theses disasters would have on your business.
A serious computer crash, for example, could wipe out all
of your Accounts Receivables, Accounts Payables, and your
customer list. Loss of your A/R may jeopardize your ability to
collect money from those owing you. Further, loosing these
records, especially you’re a/R, A/P and customer list will
cause most companies to go out of business. One study stated
that 90% of businesses that depend on computers will fold
after a serious business interruption. With each passing day you
are not up and running, the probability that you will stay in
business decreases dramatically; by the seventh day you have
less than a 1% chance of staying in business. Having a DRP in
place is like wearing a seat belt. You may never need it, but if
you do need and are wearing it, you will significantly increase
the odds that you will survive a disaster.
The best
way to survive a disaster is to expect one and plan for it. That
includes performing regular backups of all your important
computer data. But even if you’re backing up regularly, you
may not be covered in the event of a disaster. The next article
will discuss the importance of backing up your data and what to
look for and look out for.
Jerry
Adcock graduated from the University of Idaho, with a
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. He worked in the Silicon
Valley from 1984 to 1993, with various companies. He has been a
professional Software Engineer for over 20 years, now. Most of
that time has been working on PCs and stand-alone microcomputers
for robotics. He currently lives in Vancouver, WA where he
recently opened a branch office for Subterranean Data Storage Co
http://www.sdsvaults.com
or http://www.trueevaulting.com,
offering fully automated online remote backups.
Return
To The Top
Read
More Start-Up Articles
|
