Why Do We Need A Backup & Disaster Recovery Solution?

The Top 10 Benefits Of Having A Professionally Designed Backup & Disaster Recovery Solution

Any IT company or technician will tell you that a Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution is essential. We would tell you the same, and we provide this service for all of our clients.

Whether you run a school, you’re an attorney, a CPA, healthcare provider or a roofing contractor, we use the same BDR standard across the board. This way, if you have a disaster, your recovery will be as quick as possible and reduce or eliminate any downtime.

What Is A Backup & Disaster Recovery Plan?

Some IT professionals call this a Business Continuity Plan (or BCP), but no matter what you call it, it will keep your data safe and accessible if you experience a disaster.

A backup & disaster recovery plan provides you with a robust set of tools to give your business the best chance to reopen and recover quickly and with as little damage as possible to your operations and reputation.

When Will We Need To Use Our Backup & Disaster Recovery Plan?

Depending on the location and nature of your business, your operations may be vulnerable to any number of natural disasters such as wind and snow storms that down trees and power lines.

Or, a simple accidental deletion of data by one of your employees can put your business in a precarious position. Plus, don’t forget about the continually increasing cyber attacks that hold business data for a ransom. For all these reasons and more, you need a Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan.

What Will A Professionally Designed BDR Plan Include?

A professionally designed BDR Plan will map out and devise strategies to ensure your business continuity.

Your Plan will:

• Protect your IT System from significant disruptions.
• Get your business back up and running quickly in the event of a disaster.
• Test your backups and recovery regularly as part of routine site maintenance.
• Perform backups hourly to a remote location without human intervention; with logging and alerting that notifies about not just failures but on the absence of success–a fundamental distinction.
• Recover files and complete systems for time periods going back days, weeks and months.

Taking your backup one step further, you’ll be able to leverage the full power of the Cloud so your staff can continue working from anywhere they can access the Internet.

Other options to consider include:

• A Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephone system to communicate when phone lines are down.
• Approved laptops and wireless devices to create, process, manage and communicate information electronically.

What Are The Top 10 Benefits of Having an IT Business Continuity Plan Devised By an IT Services Company?

Now that you’ve got an idea about how important it is for you to have a professionally designed Backup & Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Plan, you’re probably wondering how it will specifically benefit you. Here’s how:

1. Your information technology will be protected, and your staff will be ready and productive in the event of a disaster. Employees will be informed and rehearsed, and they’ll know what actions to take. This could save your business a lot of downtime and money.
2. It will protect the image, brand, and reputation of your company. If you’re able to continue functioning despite a disaster, your customers will see you as dependable, and your reputation will be enhanced as a result.
3. Your customers will feel confident doing business with you; you’ll be able to keep your commitments and ensure the continuing quality of the services and/or products you deliver.
4. It shows your investors that you take your business seriously, that you’re prepared and ready to maintain productivity.
5. Your insurance company could view your organization more favorably knowing that you’ve done everything you can do to protect it from a disaster.
6. Your staff will gain an awareness of business operations that they didn’t have before. Business continuity planning can often provide staff with useful insights into improving the way they handle tasks, even in areas that hadn’t been previously considered.
7. If a disaster does occur, the cost of disruptions will be significantly reduced with a backup and disaster recovery plan in place.
8. They’ll be no disruptions to your supply chain. Your competitive position will be maintained or even improved because you’ll be able to meet your contractual requirements, where others who aren’t protected won’t.
9. Business operations will be improved when you identify areas of inefficiency or risk during the analysis part of your business recovery planning.
10. The best benefit of a Backup & Disaster Recovery Plan is your ability to deliver services and/or products regardless of business disruptions.

What Can You Do On Your Own?

Identify Your Potential Risks. Being in Colorado Springs, winter will be your riskiest time. However come March, we do get thunderstorms with lightning that can also knock out the power and prevent your employees from coming to work. And, of course, manmade disasters are always a risk. Mistakes by employees, vandalism and data theft are threats to consider as well.

Assess Your Operations and Level of Preparedness. Look for flaws in your operations. Do you have a work-at-home plan for employees if they can’t get into the office? How will you communicate and collaborate with them? This is when a VoIP phone system and cloud computing can really help. Ask about these and other technology solutions that will keep you working and connected.

Don’t Go IT Alone. You need an expert who’s trained in business continuity preparation and execution. This will give you the peace of mind knowing that no matter the disaster, they will be there for you.

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