Disaster recovery is part of a company's business continuity plan. While continuity establishes controls to keep all aspects of the business running when a disaster occurs, this strategy has a strong focus on Information Technology (IT) in the systems that support operations in the event of fire, natural incidents, and other events.
The importance of disaster recovery is increasingly becoming a top agenda item for executives, especially as businesses rely on technology.
We will help you to reflect on this in this article. Read on to understand the importance of a disaster recovery plan and what that strategy should look like!
What is a Disaster Recovery Plan
From English Disaster Discovery, a disaster recovery plan outlines scenarios for getting back to work quickly and reducing downtime after an incident. It is, as we have already pointed out, an important part of the business continuity plan and allows for sufficient IT recovery and data loss prevention.
The obvious benefit of having a disaster recovery plan is that it doesn't bring operations to a standstill, regardless of the circumstances. This is taking into account that every hour that the business does not work can generate losses – in many organizations, in the millions of reais.
As much as a company can minimize risks, there are many disasters that cannot be avoided. They can be natural, such as earthquakes and floods, and man-made disasters, such as infrastructure failures, for example. It is assumed that a disaster cannot be eliminated, but it can be reduced to a minimum.
On the other hand, a disaster recovery plan can also prevent the loss of customer trust, protecting the company's reputation in the face of events that it cannot prevent from happening.
How it works and what are the benefits of a disaster recovery plan
See below for a more detailed breakdown of the main benefits of having a disaster recovery plan.
Business efficiency guarantee
Disaster recovery plans have several components. The most important elements include:
- preventive measures that reduce the risk of data loss and technological infrastructure disruptions;
- measures to quickly identify unwanted events;
- remedial measures that restore lost data and allow business processes to resume after a disaster.
To achieve these goals, processes such as:
- periodic analysis of potential threats;
- keeping IT systems in top condition
- search for innovative solutions that guarantee business continuity and focus on information security.
One-off updates and opting for more innovative hardware and software can save organizations a lot of money in the long run.
Furthermore, an even greater shift is being observed, with more and more organizations adopting a cloud-based data management, instead of local operations and storage. This practice can minimize the cost of maintaining the archive and creating comprehensive backups.
Increased employee productivity
A disaster recovery plan has to be executed by the right people. When specific roles and responsibilities are assigned in advance, effectiveness and productivity increase.
In some cases, disaster recovery planning may mean having at least two people capable of handling the same task. This can be incredibly beneficial in the long run.
When multiple employees are able to handle a given task, organizations can benefit from peace of mind related to the overall health of the network. Also, if someone is on vacation or sick leave, there will still be a qualified individual within the organization capable of handling the respective task.
Likewise, the same cross-training rule applies when an employee leaves the company. These are just a few scenarios that could be anticipated and addressed in a disaster planning strategy.
Greater customer retention
Today, customers expect nothing less than perfection and reliability. They are not forgiving in case of glitches or downtime. When a particular company fails to meet their expectations, consumers simply switch to another supplier of products and/or services.
Disaster recovery planning allows companies to maintain a high quality of service, regardless of the circumstances. Recovering an old customer after an IT disaster can be next to impossible—a disastrous effect many companies have experienced firsthand.
In some industries, customers are heavily affected by downtime. This is especially true for B2B service providers. The integrity of your business will affect the integrity of client companies. As a result, a chain reaction can lead to the potential failure of many businesses.
Reducing the risk of downtime and data loss means your customers can be confident they will receive adequate service even after a disaster. As a result, investing in disaster recovery planning is one of the imperatives when it comes to sustainable customer retention.
A better understanding of scalability
One of the main things you will need to do when planning for disaster recovery is to identify innovative solutions. Technologies such as data storage and cloud-based backups simplify the archive maintenance process, increase the effectiveness of backups, and reduce the cost of recovery.
As the options for a cloud are easily scalable, they offer more flexibility than maintaining an on-site data center. A move can be completed long before disaster strikes (if any) and as the company's technical demands adapt, the storage solution is also being utilized.
The disaster recovery plan starts with a thorough research and comparison of possibilities. Companies that engage in such a strategic process can quickly discover a data storage solution that makes a lot more sense than what is currently being used and that can be adjusted on the go. Does your company already have a data recovery plan in place? disasters? Discover our solutions now Flexa Cloud on Disaster Recovery and other cloud services to help you in this mission!
