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What Is a Disaster Recovery Plan and Why It Is Important
Wed Jul 13, 2022 | Admin
Organizations can’t always avoid disasters, however having disaster recovery plans and the preventative measures they include are essential for minimizing potential damage, quickly getting things back up and running, and most importantly preventing disasters in the first place.
Learn more about what a disaster recovery plan is, why it’s important—including statistics and the benefits—and the top types of plans and preventative strategies used in disaster recovery plans today.
Defining Data Recovery Plans and Their Importance
A Disaster Recovery Plan (DPR) is a set of “action to be taken before during and after a disaster”, and is made to help protect businesses in such an event. Although disasters may not always be avoidable, having a plan helps to reduce the potential damage and quickly restore operations.
Data is everywhere, protecting it is everything. Tens of thousands of the world’s fastest growing companies are using our software Datto. Disaster recovery plans and the preventative measures they include are essential for stopping disasters from occurring in the first place. Organizations can’t always avoid disasters, but having a plan helps to minimize the potential damage and get operations back up and running quickly. Protect your Data, protect your Business.
Disaster Recovery Costs by the Numbers
Hurricane Sandy left over $68 billion of damage behind—on top of extensive recovery times.
Over 50% of business can only handle 1 hour of downtime without significant financial damage—including potentially closing their doors.
Disaster Recovery Plan Benefits
Similar to other insurance plans, having a plan comes with benefits such as:
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Minimize recovery time & possible delays
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Prevent potential legal liability
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Improve security
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Avoid potentially damaging last-second decision-making during a disaster
Types of Plans
There’s no single right type of recovery plan, but there are three main plan strategies that are often used: detective measures, corrective measures, and most important of all preventative measures.
Preventative measures are one of the most important parts of a disaster recovery plan because they are used to identify, address, and reduce environmental and other risks in order to stop disasters from occurring in the first place. There are multiple preventative strategies for data prevention plans, including:
Backup Data & Store Offsite
Magnetic backup tapes are one if the easiest ways to back up data because of their high-volume capacity and low cost. By using offsite tape vaulting, data can be quickly retrieved and restored in case of an on-site disaster.
Ransomware, Fire-Suppressant Systems, and Climate-Controlled Storage
To prevent ransomware and environmental damage, two key protections to implement are ransomware and fire suppression systems as well as climate controls to regulate temperature and humidity in storage areas.
Manage Digital Documents & Data Securely
Using Document Management Solution (DMS) Software, numerous security measures can be configured including individual access controls for each user, encryption and firewall systems, and centralized backup servers without an internet connection in case of a data breach.
BONUS: Did you know…
Three in four small businesses do not have a disaster recovery plan, but more than half say it would take at least three months to recover from a disaster, according to our recent survey.
“Small businesses are least likely to have disaster recovery insurance,” says Mark Pizzi, president and chief operating officer of Nationwide Direct and Member Solutions. “And yet they are the ones most affected by a disaster. That’s why it’s essential for small businesses to have a disaster recovery plan.”
One in four believe the likelihood of a natural disaster occurring in their area is slim, according to a survey. The gravity of the recovery from a natural disaster is not lost on small business owners — as an estimated 25%of businesses do not reopen following a major disaster.
The survey also revealed some other shocking facts:
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While more than a third of small business owners say it is not important for their business to have a disaster recovery plan, more than two-thirds have an evacuation plan at home
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For many without a plan for their business, disaster recovery is simply a low priority (34%). Time (11%) or cost (15%) play little roles in the decision not to have a written disaster recovery plan in place
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For companies with fewer than 50 employees, only one in five have a disaster recovery plan
Unfortunately, if a disaster were to occur, 44% of small business owners say they don’t have access to generators —and 66% don’t even have business interruption insurance.
Speak to a Specialist about Disaster Recovery Plans
Join other companies we’ve helped to create and implement disaster recovery plans. Like they say, hope for the best but prepare for the worst. To get started click one of the buttons above, or give us a call at (716) 852-2203 or (800) 859-2203. Our Specialists are more than happy to answer any questions or inquiries you have.
Does your Company have Business Continuity? Does your Business have a Disaster Recovery Plan in place? Please share how you handle business “just in cases”, we love hearing about different strategies and preventative plans.