Disaster Recovery: Practice and Planning Make Perfect

Posted January 15, 2019

In Blog, Cloud Services, Cloud Solutions, Managed IT Service Providers, Managed IT Services, Managed Network Services, Managed Service Provider, Managed Services

Following a hacking event, cyber-attack, or natural disaster, you’re going to want to get back online as quickly as possible. That’s why it’s absolutely critical to have a well-tested disaster recovery plan waiting in the event of the worst-case scenario. In doing so, you are ensuring that you can get your business technology back up and running ASAP.

A disaster recovery plan is an integral part of your business continuity plan. By identifying your weak points and coming up with a clear contingency plan, you are helping to ensure that your business is able to bounce back after a disastrous event.

It starts with creating a set of preventative measures. These are the steps that you take to prevent the event from occurring in the first place. This would include securing networks by developing security protocols that all users receive training on, keeping your physical assets behind locked doors, and keeping funds readily available to purchase lost or damaged equipment in the event that physical damage occurs.

You will also want to pursue detection measures, which help you predict when an event is going to occur and mitigate the damage. Firewalls, a robust cybersecurity platform, and cameras that monitor your building and your equipment can help you and your cybersecurity partner detect when someone is trying to harm your business. In doing so, you are setting yourself up to find small problems before they become big problems.

Finally, you want a disaster recovery plan in the event that your preventative and detection measures are not able to stop an unavoidable event.

These recovery plans are extensive and require a significant team effort. Everyone in your company has a job to do when a disaster occurs. Your recovery plan should include, at the minimum:

The goals of your plan
Printed lists of personnel information, particularly those who process data. If your networks are offline, it may be hard to contact people if you don’t have their information stored externally.
A list of all applications that your business uses and their purpose.
A list of all physical inventory.
A system save log. This should contain accountability data about who is responsible for data retention, where they are being saved, and how often.
Recovery plan for your website and your mobile site, if applicable
Recovery plan for your social media profiles, in the event of a cyberattack or hacking attempt
Instructions on system restoration
Reconstruction of the data center plan
Infrastructure rebuilding plan
Testing protocols

Once these plans and protocols are in place, you want to run regular tests and verifications that check whether all personnel and systems are prepared for a disastrous event. These tests do not need to test all aspects of your recovery plan every time. It is just as valuable to run highly critical tests more often and complete full tests annually or semi-annually.

Kyle Vinar

Kyle Vinar is Partner / President of Verus Corporation. He oversees all business operations and coaches Verus teams to continually improve on their solutions from client experience to product development and overall solution implementation. He works with all Verus resources to increase efficiencies and excellence in every aspect of their organizational roles. Kyle believes that people are the last real competitive edge that a company can have and constructing a rich culture is a vital step in running a world-class organization. Therefore he strives to create a culture within Verus that allows everyone to show up authentically and grow both personally and professionally, which in turn allows Verus Corp team members to provide clients with top-of-the-line service. Kyle helps balance strategy, capacity, and culture in such a way that has allowed Verus Corp to achieve exponential growth since he joined the company in 2013. One of Kyle’s greatest professional achievements has been in helping lay the foundation upon which Verus Corporation could be named the 2nd Best Place to Work by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Kyle holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from St. Cloud State University. He lives in Champlin with his wife and 3 children. He has enjoyed volunteering as a soccer coach for over 6 years and was the former Director of Coaching for Rebels Soccer Club. If Kyle isn’t on the sidelines of one of his children’s soccer games or in the audience of his eldest’s musicals, he can often be found cruising scenic routes on his Harley, in a deer stand, or on the golf course.