Frailty, thy name is data! – Mastering Disaster Recovery
August 14, 2017By Guest Blogger
Mastering Disaster
From a busted pipe to a fire, your data is vulnerable during a disaster. This is a serious problem, considering that half of businesses that lose data for 10 days or more end up filing for bankruptcy within 6 months. You can avoid this issue by having a data center disaster recovery plan in place. The right disaster recovery strategy will safeguard your data and get you back up and running quickly.
Run Mock Drills
Your data center disaster recovery strategy must include drills. Mock drills prepare your team for a disaster so they can handle the stress during the real thing. This prevents people from panicking, ensuring that they respond effectively. The more drills you run, the better off you will be. Practice turns into habit, so you can build effective habits with mock drills.
Use Advanced Planning and a Clear Chain of Communication
Advanced planning and communication are also essential for your data center recovery. Start with a clear chain of communication so people know exactly who to communicate with during a disaster. You should run mock drills so everyone can practice communicating. In addition, update the chain when staff changes or new technology emerges.
In regards to planning, you must consider what could potentially fail during a disaster and keep spare parts on hand to fix the problem before it occurs. If an emergency occurs, your vendors won’t be able to rush out to you, so having those parts available is essential to getting up and running. In addition, keep up with your maintenance schedule to reduce the chance of failure during a disaster.
Hire Experienced and Innovative Third-Party Vendors with Clear Solutions
Choosing the right third-party vendor is also an essential part of your data center disaster recovery strategy. The right vendor is experienced and innovative, and can offer solutions. Look for vendors who are available at all times and have the highest levels of training and expertise. They should also be dedicated to your facility and be willing to collaborate on solutions. In addition, the best vendors take a proactive approach and have an emergency plan available. Your vendors should always be working for you and have your needs in mind at all times.
Data center recovery should be the top of your list. That means you need to have a plan in place. Create a checklist for data recovery and then go through the necessary drills. This will ensure that your data center recovers, no matter what happens.