Update Your Disaster Recovery Plan by Answering These 2 Questions

Every business, whether large, medium or small, should have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that guides employees on how to recover in the event of a breach caused by a natural or manmade event. Most of us realize that. But when was the last time you reviewed your plan and identified any gaps that may require tweaks or significant changes?

Whether you’re just now developing a disaster recovery plan — or at a stage where you need to review it, start the process by asking these two questions: How fast do you need to recover after an event? What do you need to quickly recover?

By outlining the answers to those questions, you can start implementing a strategic plan based on your specific needs and requirements, according to Alex Carroll, who discusses the important elements of a disaster recovery plan in this video. Carroll said company officials will need to bring numerous team members to take a granular look to determine which areas are more critical than others.

The solutions could vary extensively, depending upon which functions of your company need to be immediately recovered — and, as a result, will be the most expensive recovery projects in your plan. You also may determine that other data can wait a week before being required to get your company back to normal — or return to operations, as it is described in the industry.

Companies also may want to determine if they need work group recovery — another location that allows employees to physically gather in order to keep working in the event of a disaster or event that prevents them from working at the company.

When you’re ready to formulate a detailed recovery plan, contact Lifeline Data Centers for assistance. We have provided many clients in various industries with the resources they need to establish a disaster recovery plans as well as the solutions they require to return to operations. Contact us for more information about how we do it.

Other resources:

• Infographic: The 22 Data Center Compliance Acronyms You Need to Know
• White Paper: Why Data Center Compartmentalization is Important
• Lifeline One Sheet: What You Need to Know About Lifeline Data Centers

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.