Disaster Recovery Verification: Is Your Data Safe?

Posted April 30, 2019

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

Disasters often strike without warning, leaving catastrophic damage in their wake. They come in predictable and unpredictable ways, whether it’s a tornado or a direct hacking attack. Predictable events allow you at least some time to prepare, but you never know when a fire, a malware infection, or human error could cause extreme network and data loss.

Will your business survive the aftermath? Without a disaster recovery verification plan, the answer is more likely to be “no.” Creating your checklists and hierarchy of responsibility now can get you back on your feet soon following an emergency situation.

If you’re wondering where to start when it comes to creating a disaster recovery plan, use ours as a starting point. Add to it as needed, and create your own protocol for getting back online quickly and efficiently.

Employee Safety

How will you evacuate the building?
What is the safest place within the office to use as a temporary shelter?
How will you obtain medical care and supplies, in the event of injury?
Do you have at least some emergency provisions, like water and non-perishable food, in the event of an extended stay within the building?

Hierarchy of Functions

Who is responsible for monitoring sales and cash flow? How will you calculate negative impact?
If the business has to be relocated, who will be in charge of overseeing the move?
What specific responsibilities do individual managers, and executives have? Are they aware of these responsibilities?
What departments need to be restored first? What departments can wait until operations are back on track to reopen?
Who is responsible for contacting your network contractors and seeking guidance in restoring services?

Equipment

How much hardware (computers, phones, printers, servers) are necessary to conduct your business following a critical event? Where are these located? Who has access to them?
Create a complete and up-to-date inventory, including all hardware, infrastructure, and office furnishings. Maintain this inventory for insurance purposes and to guide your rebuying once your business is open again.

Data Recovery

All digital files and assets are going to need to be recovered. Who is responsible for this recovery? Where are these files stored? If you’re using cloud storage, who is responsible for redownloading critical software files and installing them on backup computers?
If you’re not storing your data in the cloud, you are at serious risk for permanent loss, especially in situations where your storage is physically damaged by fire, water, or force. While on-site storage allows you to maintain optimum privacy, it’s a risk to not have cloud backups.

Save Hard Copies

Where are hard copies stored? How are they stored? Have they been scanned and stored? If not, it’s something to think about. Recovering digital files stored on the cloud is much easier than reproducing critical hard copies.
If applicable, where are the off-site hard copy storage spaces? This may be other branches of the business, a warehouse, or a storage unit. Who has access to these spaces? What is the plan for bringing these hard copies back into the reopening business?

No matter where you are in the process of creating a disaster recovery verification plan, its successful implementation is critical to the safety of your business in the event of a disaster. One of the most important steps you can take is moving to cloud storage. With on-site or solid-state storage, your business is at risk of losing countless pieces of data. Hybrid cloud storage options keep you safe in the event of a disaster, but allow you to maintain the privacy that on-site storage allows.

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.