Disaster Recovery - Is your business prepared?

There are many ways a digital disaster can strike your business. Being prepared can mean the difference between successfully recovering or a total loss.

In today's world, your data and servers can be vital to the success of your business. What are some of the ways to prepare for and mitigate incidents involving your data or IT infrastructure?

1.) Backup Plan. Your business should have a plan in-place for taking backups of critical data and systems. In practice, it is best to keep 'off-site' backups in case of unforseen catastrophies such as fire, natural disastors, malware, and more. Not only should you be taking backups, but you should consider mirroring your servers and critical systems to another data center.

2.) Disaster Recovery Plan. A good disaster recovery plan will detail all steps that should be taken to bring services back online and restore any missing data. This allows you to get back to doing business, even if your main site is still recovering from a disaster.

3.) Incident Response Plan. You should have a list of various scenarios with specific actions and responses individuals in your company will take in the event of a disastor. You should cover as many scenarios as possible. Include a section specifically for handling illegal activity such as theft, Denial of Service attacks, and malware/ransomware.

4.) Test your plan and the responsiveness of your team. Run drills, table-top exercises, and hire external auditors to test and probe your IR/DR plans.