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Businesses these days rely on IT for all of their day to day operations. Therefore a disaster recovery plan is vital. Here are our tips for making sure that your information systems don’t fail you when you need them most.

1. Create a disaster recovery plan.
   What is important to keep the business running? Think of every process in your office and how long you could do without it if the worst happened. Also consider who is responsible for sorting out the disaster, and which employees should be informed of it. Is it necessary to tell your customers/clients?
2. Monitor the plan.
   Has every precaution been put into place effectively? Are there any blind spots? How often is your data being backed up?
3. Test the plan.
   This is the only way that you will know if your disaster recovery is working properly. An inadequate plan can be just as problematic as having no plan at all.
4. Create an off-site data back-up/storage procedures.
   Whether they’re in the Cloud or an off-site server, it is important to have a remote point of data access. Disasters can affect hardware as well as software.
5. Perform data restoration tests.
   Your back-up copies must successfully create complete replicas of your data to ensure that no false representations exist when recovery occurs. This is especially important for data that gets edited regularly.
6. Don’t forget about mobile and portable equipment.
   Data stored locally on desktops, laptops, and elsewhere may not be automatically saved via your network. If a workstation is lost, damaged, or stolen, critical data may go with it.
7. Invest in theft recovery and data delete solutions.
   In the event that something is stolen, sensitive data should be prevented from falling into the wrong hands. Remember the story of the looter who took a professional hacker’s laptop only to be stalked online and charged with theft? These days it’s possible to manage your information even when you are no longer physically in possession of it.
8. Carry out regular virus updates.
   Computer viruses mutate at a rapid speed; as soon as a cure for one is found, another is created. Organisations must protect their systems by installing regular virus pattern updates to prevent a crisis from happening.
9. Look into managed services providers.
   For Small to Medium Businesses (SMEs) it is usually more cost-effective to look for a company that can manage your entire security needs. These service providers can design, implement, test, and manage bespoke disaster recovery plans for your company.

Every business is liable to serious IT incidents which can prevent them from operating successfully. Anticipating disaster is key to maintaining an efficient networked system.