FEATURE : DISASTER RECOVERY ensure preparedness is to remain proactive , constantly monitoring for potential risks and building robust contingency plans for each one ,” he said .
Bell said IT Disaster Recovery planning is a process that helps organisations prevent losses and minimise downtime in the event of an IT disaster .
He explained that the most common types of IT Disaster Recovery plans are backup and recovery plans , Business Continuity plans , and incident response plans . “ Backup and recovery plans focus on protecting data and restoring systems after a disaster . Business Continuity plans focus on maintaining critical operations during and after a disaster . Incident response plans focus on identifying , responding to , and mitigating the effects of incidents ,” he said . “ IT Disaster Recovery planning is a critical part of any organisation ’ s risk management strategy . By taking the time to develop and implement an effective plan , organisations can greatly reduce the impact of an IT disaster .”
With CIOs and their IT teams being urged to carefully plan when going about building their Disaster Recovery plan , it is imperative that they approach this process with a critical plan .
Bell said IT Disaster Recovery planning is the process of creating a system that will allow an organisation to continue operating in the event of a major IT disaster . “ The scope of Disaster Recovery planning can vary depending on the size and complexity of the organisation , but the objectives are generally the same : to minimise downtime , to protect data , and to ensure that critical business functions can continue ,” he said . “ To achieve these objectives , organisations need to have a comprehensive plan that covers everything from backup and recovery to communication and incident management . While it may seem like a lot of work , Disaster Recovery planning is essential for any organisation that relies on IT for its operations .”
Bell said when it comes to building a Disaster Recovery plan , CIOs and their IT teams need to approach the process with a critical mindset . “ First and foremost , you need to be realistic about your organisational needs and capabilities . Second , you will need to carefully consider what aspects of your IT infrastructure are most crucial to keep running during a disaster . And finally , it ’ s important to identify any external factors that may have an impact on your DR plans ,” he said . “ Whether it ’ s internal politics or outside regulations , being aware of these factors will help ensure that your DR plan is able to meet the needs of your organisation under any circumstances . Ultimately , developing a comprehensive DR plan requires foresight , flexibility ,
THERE HAS BEEN A MAJOR SHIFT IN THE DISASTER RECOVERY SOLUTIONS
MARKET , WITH NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
EMERGING TO MEET THIS DEMAND .
and above all , attention to detail . So , if you ’ re looking for ways to build the best DR plan possible , just follow those simple tips !”
How should CIOs and their IT teams go about building their Disaster Recovery plan ? According to Petersen , traditional Disaster Recovery implementations use a duplicate and mirroring approach and offer the advantage of near-zero downtime and fast recovery times that cannot be achieve with backup alone . However , said Petersen , the downside is that this approach requires an expensive secondary location , and entails the risk that malware could propagate and replicate because of near-sync replication . “ CIOs should therefore consider the modern alternative – Asa-Service-based Disaster Recovery which enables them to use public cloud as their secondary infrastructure .
“ With ransomware being one of the primary threat vectors , it ’ s also critical for a robust DR plan to also include backup – which can also be delivered Asa-Service . While DR solutions create separation by replicating data offsite , the near real-time nature of replication means infected or encrypted data may also get propagated as well . However , modern next gen data management solutions also provide immutability which means the backup data cannot be deleted or altered and this is critical in protecting an organisation ’ s data against ransomware ,” he said . p
Tony Bell , Chief Sales Officer , Sales and Marketing , Decision Inc Group
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