Summary

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A disaster need not be a "disaster" if sufficient preparation and planning are carried out. It is a frightening reality that many companies have no contingency plans in place. The existence of a disaster recovery plan could keep the staff employed, satisfy legal requirements, reduce the insurance premiums, ensure that the company has a sufficient cash flow for survival, and highlight how vulnerable the company actually is.

A key aspect of planning for disaster is a good backup strategy ”without the company data, there is not much to recover. But a backup is only as good as the capability to restore from it, if it becomes necessary. Secure storage and regular testing of backups guarantee the integrity and readability of the data.

A number of steps are involved in creating a good, solid disaster recovery plan:

• Obtain management buy-in.

• Assemble a disaster recovery team.

• Seek professional advice.

• Analyze the impact of a disaster on the business.

• Assess the risks to the business.

• Gather the required information.

• Create a logical plan that deals with the initial reaction to a disaster, the ensuing 48 hours, the resumption of business activity, and the return to normal operation.

• Practice the implementation of the plan, and improve it.

Many professional business continuity and recovery companies can provide expert advice as well as resources. A company can choose whether to use corporate-owned premises for an alternate site or a third-party site, fully prepared and ready for the contingency operation. With the resources available to businesses today, a successful recovery from a disaster should always be achievable. The only reason for failure, is the lack of preparation and planning.

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