You hear it all the time from us—back up your data, keep your virus protection current, and install and maintain a firewall to protect yourself from hackers and other online threats.

However, while these precautions will certainly help you avoid problems, they CAN’T do anything if you don’t have a good backup and disaster recovery plan in place.

Recent events like the tornados near Fredericton and the massively destructive tornados in Oklahoma, major flooding in Alberta and Super Storm Sandy have really brought to the forefront the statistic that almost 75% of businesses that suffer a major data loss are out of business within 2 years.

Are You A Sitting Duck?

We all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; yet, disaster recovery planning often takes a distant second to the daily deadlines and pressures of running a business.

That means that most businesses, including your own, may end up offline and without your data after a simple lightening storm.

Don’t think that could ever happen to you? Consider this: “data-erasing disasters” can also take the form of office fires and broken water pipes, not just earthquakes, floods and tornadoes. If a fire started in your building, the parts that weren’t burned beyond recovery would probably be destroyed by the firemen’s efforts. But even more common is software corruption, hardware failures and human error!

Disaster Recovery Questions
You Need To Answer

A disaster recovery plan doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming or expensive. Start by asking yourself the following questions...

  1. Do you back up your company’s data daily to both an onsite and offsite location?
  2. Determined the acceptable amount of time you can afford to be down and implemented a strategy to maintain those goals? Remember a tape backup system means at least 4 to 5 days of downtime (Not sure why, feel free to call for an explanation)
  3. Are you absolutely certain that your backup copy is valid, complete and not corrupt? How do you know for sure?
  4. If disaster strikes, HOW would you get your data back, and how long would it take? In many cases it takes days and often weeks; what would you do during that period of time?
  5. Do you have copies of all the software licenses and discs in a safe location that could be accessed in the event of having to rebuild your server?
  6. Would you and your employees have a way to access your network remotely if you couldn't get to the office?
  7. Do you store important passwords in a secure place that company officers can access if you are unavailable?
  8. Do you have a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) device in place to keep your network and other critical data operations running during a power outage?

This is NOT a complete list, but it is a good start to get you thinking in the right direction. Contact us if you need assistance in developing your Disaster Recovery plan