Disaster recovery in your data centre

What is a disaster recovery plan & why is it important for your data centre?

A disaster recovery plan does exactly what it says on the tin. It outlines agreed contingency plans in the event of a wide range of disasters, natural or otherwise, to allow a business to recover with minimal or no disruption to operations. The disaster recovery plan comprises of documented processes or sets of procedures to help protect IT infrastructure. Although this can be an electronic document, it is advisable to also have a written document or print-out to ensure there are never any issues accessing the plan in times of need.

In the business world, disasters of any kind result in survival of the fittest. What does this mean? It means if you’re prepared for most common disasters and eventualities, you’re likely to fare a lot better than a business without a disaster recovery plan. A disaster recovery plan sets apart troubled businesses that take a hit from businesses that adapt and thrive in the face of disaster. As you protect sensitive data for clients who put faith in you, it’s good business sense for you to plan for the worst, so you don’t lose customer trust, incur fines or damage your reputation. It may also give your client peace of mind to know you’re well prepared.

Types of disaster to account for in your data centre plan

It’s difficult to account for every single possible disaster, but a good starting place to understand natural disasters is to look at insurance policies, where insurers usually do a good job of creating comprehensive lists. Types of disaster include: natural disasters (fire, flood, earthquake), power outages, cyber-attacks, physical attacks and terrorism, epidemics (as we’ve already had to account for due to COVID-19), bomb threats, telephone outages, and loss of access to a facility.

The ideal: avoiding data centre disaster in the first place

At Cross-Guard, we think it’s important to include in your disaster recovery plan a line about the importance of anticipating disasters and responding before they happen. Sometimes, there are warning signs of disaster. Natural disasters – tornadoes, earthquakes etc. – don’t always have warning signs. However, you can certainly help prevent everyday disasters such as theft and terrorism by ensuring your security measures are up to date and fixing any perceived vulnerable spots in your data centre. Remember, physical security is just as important to consider as cyber security.

separator-icon

Call us now to see how we can help you

GET A QUOTE

Get a Quote Form

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.