It’s an unfortunate fact that a number of events can drastically interrupt the way we do business. From natural disasters to cyber attacks, the ability to recover from and continue business operations is paramount. They say the best offense is a good defense, so if that’s the case, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) fits right in.
A responsible steward of any business must ensure their organization is able to survive any major incident and return to normal operations with minimal disruption. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about business continuity and creating a disaster recovery plan.
What is BCDR?
As the name implies, BCDR is a two-part program that is complementary but also separate. These two parts are very different in function.
Business Continuity
Let’s talk about the first part of these plans. Business continuity (BC) is your company’s ability to withstand events that could cause disruptions and still maintain a similar level of performance. After a disastrous event, your company should strive to continue conducting business as usual with minimal interruption. A BC plan should include:
- Who declares the disaster: Business continuity plans should include both a primary and alternate person responsible for declaring when an event has occurred or is about to occur.
- How long it will take to recover: Make sure you understand how long it will typically take to restore the necessary systems and data.
- What measures are needed: Lastly, the plan should detail which preventive measures need to be taken to reduce disruption during a major incident.
Disaster Recovery
Now let’s move on to Disaster Recovery (DR). This aspect of BCDR focuses more on restoring lost data and systems after an incident has occurred instead of preventing one from happening in the first place.
It is the ‘how’ of a plan and is the most critical part of the overall BCDR program. A disaster recovery plan should include the following:
- What systems and data must be recovered: Ensure the plan outlines exactly which systems and data need to be accessed or restored in order for business continuity to be successful.
- How the company will recover: The plan should also outline how your organization will recover from such an event and return to normal operations.
- Where backups are stored: Specify where all backup copies of any important files and databases should be stored in case of an emergency.
What is the Most Important Aspect of Planning for BCDR?
When creating a continuity and recovery plan, testing and exercising practices are essential. This means actually going through your plans as if something had happened and evaluating how well they work. It’s not enough to just create a procedure; you have to make sure that it will actually be effective in a real-life scenario.
By testing and exercising your plan, you can identify any gaps or weaknesses within it and make corrections accordingly.
Stay Ahead of Obstacles with ThrottleNet
ThrottleNet understands the importance of being properly prepared for unexpected events. Our team is ready to help you create an effective BCDR strategy tailored to your unique business needs and objectives. We specialize in helping organizations develop plans that are comprehensive, efficient, and testable so they can have greater peace of mind when disaster strikes.
Contact us today to learn more about our services.
