101 On Disaster Recovery – The Low-Down
It’s awkward to explain to the ATO that you lost, well, all the invoices you’ve ever received. It’s also really awkward to explain to your clients that you lost every piece of information they might have sent you from the beginning of time. It’s truly awkward to never, ever be able to re-access the tech infrastructure and all the data that makes your company what it is.
Disaster Recovery, Your Business And Mum
Telling mum that your whole company collapsed because you didn’t have a disaster recovery policy and IT solution in place is the worst kind of awkward. Even if she doesn’t understand what IT DR is all about. [Well, here mum…]
Recovery Time and Recovery Point Objectives
Disaster Recovery (DR) is the process of recovery for your servers following a catastrophic failure – a natural or human-induced disaster. Not to be confused with System Backup or Data Archiving (which we’ll tackle in a little later), DR can include the functionality to recover you server environment onto different hardware without hours of reconfiguring your file servers (recovery time).
Depending on your particular DR solution, snap shots of your IT data can be taken hourly during the workday so that your organisation’s recovery points are more current.
What Your Disaster Recovery Solution Should Do
Effective DR should provide your organisation with the ability to continue working within a relatively short period of downtime, which is vital to any organisation. Key to successful Disaster Recovery solutions is the ability to recover the environment without access to the original environment.
The Importance Of DR For Your Business
As IT systems are simply essential for the smooth and successful operation of any organisation – and, on a bigger scale, the economy – ensuring the continued operation of those systems, and their rapid recovery, has increased. For example, of companies that had a major loss of business data, 43% never reopen and 29% close within two years.
As a result, preparation for recovery of systems needs to be taken seriously. This involves a significant investment of resource and the partnership with a successful IT integrator, with the aim of minimising disruption to your customers, staff and partners.
Best Disaster Recovery Options For SMEs
At Systemnet, because of our years’ experience working with IT environments and DR, we suggest two solutions for small-to-medium enterprises:
- Symantec System Recovery with offsite option;
- Storagecraft Shadow Protect.
Ultimately, Disaster Recovery solutions are based on disaster recovery plans: process, policies and procedures related to preparing for recovery (and continuing business). Does your organisation have a good DR solution that protects you against catastrophe?
Secure Your DR Solution Today
Developing a disaster recovery plan doesn’t have to be a complex business hurdle, and the reason most companies are caught out is simply because they haven’t put anything in place. What are your options? Easy. Prepare.
Contact our Systemnet IT solutions specialists today and make sure your business is guarded against that awkward moment when…