Disaster and Data Recovery Steps

September 4, 2017 8:04 am

In our world of hackers, potential weather-related events, and massive computer failures, it is well within the realm of possibility that something disastrous could happen to the technology at your place of business. Having a Disaster Recovery Plan or Business Continuity Plan is paramount to keeping your company afloat no matter what the event may be. IT disaster recovery plans provide step-by-step procedures for recovering disrupted systems and networks, and help them resume normal operations.Here is what your Disaster Recovery Plan may look like.

 

According to the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-34, Contingency Planning for Information Technology Systems, the following summarizes the ideal structure for an IT disaster recovery plan:

 

  • Complete a Risk Assessment to know what programs, data, and technology is at risk in the case of a disaster. Identify what management perceives as the most serious threats to the IT infrastructure including: fire, human error, loss of power, system failure.
  • Gather all relevant network infrastructure documents, for example: network diagrams, equipment configurations, databases. Include in this list all of the technology that keeps your business running. Identify the most critical IT assets, including call centers, server farms, Internet access, etc…
  • Identify procedures that will be instituted in the case of a system failure or disaster.
  • Determine who and what will be a part of an emergency response team in the case of a disaster.
  • Prepare IT disaster recovery plan(s) to address critical IT systems and networks.
  • Conduct tests of plans and system recovery assets to validate their operations.

If you need help drafting your Disaster Recovery Plan call M&H Consulting at 1-(866)-964-8324 for a free initial consultation.

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