Disaster Recovery Plans: Preparing Your Business for the Unexpected

Introduction

It is well known that across our modern business landscape, companies face many complex and evolving digital workspace and cyber security challenges. It’s not just big organisations that are targeted by hackers and malicious software, research has shown that small and medium sized companies are particularly at risk, potentially because of a lack of training and resources.

It’s also important to recognise that not all digital issues are the result of a cyber attack. Many companies have experienced a catastrophic loss of data because of problems with outdated software, flawed digital infrastructures or human error.

This is why having a strategic and responsive disaster recovery plan is so essential for businesses of all types and sizes and across all sectors.

But what does an effective disaster recovery plan look like? How can staff and teams be trained to spot issues, escalate concerns and implement the plan efficiently? How often should a disaster recovery plan be amended and why is it so important?

In this article we’ll explore the essential information you need as a business owner to help you prepare to create a disaster recovery plan that suits your company’s unique situation and needs. We’ll outline what an effective recovery strategy contains and offer tips to help you plan for the worst.

What Are The Key Digital Threats to Modern Businesses?

Cyber security threats are by far the most pressing digital issues facing modern businesses, with malicious attempts to damage networks or steal assets and information ranging from malware or ransomware and widespread email phishing scams to full scale DoS or DDoS attacks across an entire online presence or infrastructure.

Companies are also at risk of data loss and infrastructure problems through their own software and hardware choices, primarily from a lack of attention and care and/or failing to update systems or upload and implement regular security patches.

Staff within a company can be the greatest asset in tackling cyber threats and digital issues, but they can also be one of the primary reasons that things go wrong. This is why detailed training and clear protocols are an essential part of your planning.

A robust and well researched cybersecurity disaster recovery plan can help to create a strong foundation on which to build bespoke responses to a variety of digital challenges. Disaster recovery plans allow companies of all types to mitigate risks, minimise downtime and ensure operational continuity in the face of unexpected issues.

What is a Disaster Recovery Plan?

Recovery plans to tackle digital issues and limit any damage from cyber attacks include all the planning, processes and protocols designed to implement protections against a greater level of threat.

They work to reduce negative impacts and data loss from a cyber attack or software/hardware malfunction. A thorough disaster recovery plan will take into consideration your physical assets and any vulnerabilities in your digital systems and data.

Disaster Recovery plans should reflect the unique needs of an individual business, taking into consideration staff and customers and any future plans to upgrade systems or evolve an online presence. Although you can use another company’s plan to inspire and frame your own, making it fully bespoke is the only way to ensure it meets your requirements. A dedicated IT support provider will be able to advise you on the best solutions for your digital disaster recovery plan and also help you implement it.

So, what should an expert disaster recovery plan look like?

5 Essential Components of a Disaster Recovery Plan

• Risk Assessment – Knowing your business inside out and identifying areas of potential vulnerability should be the first step in mapping out your plan. Having this detailed knowledge and awareness of weaknesses in the system will allow you to correct them where possible and if not, make changes to mitigate any negative impacts.

• Data Backup and System Recovery – Regular data backups should be a non-negotiable part of any forward-thinking business strategy. Backing up your data in more than one way and using at least one offsite location is the best way to retrieve company data and intellectual property in the case of ransomware, data theft or a system-wide failure.

• Immediate Response Protocols – Any good disaster response and recovery plan should have instructions on what staff and team members should do in the immediate event and aftermath of a data breach, cyber attack or system failure. It should also provide clarity on which stakeholders and/or customers should be informed and any regulatory or legal organisations who need to be told.

• Employee Training and Communication – Your plan is only as good as the information it contains and the people trained to execute it in a time of need. You should conduct regular training with staff on their roles and responsibilities in cyber security, how they can identify issues and flag up any concerns. You must also clearly communicate any updates or changes to the plan so that everyone is kept up-to-date.

• Proactive Monitoring – Any disaster recovery plan can be elevated by constant vigilance and in the case of cyber security regular, proactive system monitoring. This helps to identify issues quickly and solve or contain them before they escalate. An expert IT provider can not only help you devise your plan, they will also be able to monitor and evaluate your infrastructure as part of an ongoing IT solutions package.

3 Reasons Your Business Should Have a Disaster Recovery Plan

• To Insure Your Assets: A disaster recovery plan not only gives instructions on what to do when things go wrong, it also helps to minimise loss by creating an environment of caution. This includes regular backups of data and intellectual property so you can be up and running again with little impact on your business operations.

• To Maintain Business Continuity and Communication: Any digital downtime or interruption to your daily operations can cost you money and be frustrating. A detailed disaster recovery plan will have options for your staff and customers on maintaining continuity of service and how to advise people if there will be disruptions.

• To Ensure Legal Compliance: If your business sector is subject to strict compliance rules and heavily regulated, it may be a legal requirement for your company to have a disaster recovery plan that outlines procedures to protect stakeholders, customers and members of the public.

Final Thoughts – Safeguarding Your Business

Your disaster recovery plan should be:

• Bespoke to your business to allow for your unique company set-up.
• Guided by strong leadership and modelling from the head of the company down.
• Part of any partnership agreements with third-party organisations or individuals.
• Continuously improved and adapted with regular monitoring of your systems.

A disaster recovery plan should be an essential part of any company’s growth strategy. It could mean the difference between a minor disruption and a complete system failure and potentially the end of business operations entirely. Cyber security threats will continue to evolve, and digital attacks are not going away. If you feel that your company needs a better, more robust disaster recovery plan, an expert IT support provider will be able to advise on the best solutions for your organisation.

First of all, you should do some independent research to find a reputable and experienced IT support provider in your area, try a keyword search to get some names and recommendations. For example, try IT cyber security Devon or IT disaster recovery plan provider in Plymouth to find an expert IT company near you.

Talk to them about what you need from your digital disaster recovery plan and talk through how they can help you to create something bespoke for your business.