FEATURE : DISASTER RECOVERY compliance , backup and recovery of remote devices , protecting the supply chain , changes in documentation , automation and testing , prioritising data , systems and needs , and communications and training .”
Khaled added that each of these considerations need to be addressed when an organisation is planning its Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery ( BCDR ).
Nasser Bostan , Head , Security Sales , Middle
East and Africa , BT
companies , regardless of size and industry or sector , have made changes across virtually all areas of their infrastructure . Bostan said this rapid shift towards more digitally-led processes have seen gaps emerge in their cybersecurity posture .
He said while the cloud has injected organisations with work from anywhere capabilities , the more prevalent its use and the more disparate the workforce have become , the more operational risks emerge that directly impact on the efficacy of Disaster Recovery solutions . “ Disaster Recovery is no longer just about the data , systems and processes that are in place , but must account for individuals who are accessing the network environment from virtually any devices and geographic location ,” he said . “ This has changed the risk profile of a company that must now treat remote employees as individual network endpoints . Now , more than ever , key organisational data is stored on and accessed from the cloud . In addition to the risks this can create , it also creates confusion about where data is stored , whose responsibility it is to safeguard it and how policies must be updated to reflect the ‘ new normal ’”.
Bostan said from natural disasters , network intrusions , human error , cybercriminal and other security concerns , the list of potential threats facing an organisation today continues to grow in numbers , severity , and complexity . “ The pandemic has been the catalyst for those organisations still undecided about the cloud to embrace Digital Transformation at a rate and scale previously unanticipated ,” he said . “ However , this means that Disaster Recovery is crucial to ensure that companies can rapidly recover from any potential risk , regardless its origin . While natural disasters might be a relatively rare occurrence in the Middle East for example , these cannot be ignored completed especially in areas prone to flooding or earthquakes .”
According to Khaled , the definition of ‘ disaster ’ is changing . He explained that while power outages , hardware , software failures and human errors are still prevalent , cyberattacks such as ransomware are becoming an increasingly widespread threat to small and medium-size businesses ( SMBs ). “ To recover any data during a ransomware attack , you will need a highly customised DR plan and the right enabling capabilities . Your two-year-old DR plan won ’ t cut it ,” he said . “ There are several different Disaster Recovery plans , so choosing the right one for your business can seem daunting . Four primary categories to consider are :
Data centre DR – a separate physical facility located at a safe distance from production systems , cloud DR – Backup and recovery of systems and data , to and from a public cloud , virtualisation DR – Backup and recovery of IT infrastructure to an offsite virtual machine ( VM ) and DRaaS – Cloud-based solution offered by thirdparty providers .
Muhammad Khaled , Senior Solution Engineer , Middle East , Acronis , said while the COVID-19 pandemic affected people , it also prompted a heavier reliance on technology than ever before : “ We may never see anything like COVID-19 again , but the effects on IT will likely be long-lasting . Businesses pivoted almost immediately to remote work and online e-commerce ,” he said . “ In the case of remote work , business-related devices moved outside of the regular IT infrastructure , creating a whole series of planning scenarios that IT departments may not have previously considered , including but not limited to : maintaining regulatory
Khaled added that since Disaster Recovery planning is unique to every business , it is imperative to understand available options , flexibility and scalability , and the costs associated with each .
Bostan said becoming more flexible is one of the key learnings from the past 12-months especially when it comes to Disaster Recovery planning . He added that while this applies to how business leaders think about the new challenges emerging , it is also relevant when talking about infrastructure and the way business is done .
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