Disaster Recovery
Below you will find suggestions that were written for the non
technical business owner. These suggestions can help anyone
get their Disaster Recovery Plan started on the right track.
Listed in three short
categories, the information below will require little time or money to implement
yet could prove invaluable to any business in case of a
disaster.
Your Data: 1. Understand what data is key to your company's survival.
This would include data which might be kept in your accounting program, your contact management
software, your inventory software, e-mail, and even critical documents in Word or Excel
formats that were created by staff members.2. Know where that key data is currently stored and when possible enforce standards for storage locations. Knowing what folder on what system needs to be backed up is an absolute must and is as critical as knowing which bank and account your money is in. 3. Be familiar with how often the data changes or is updated as that will play a factor on how often it must be archived. 4. Understand the size of the data so that you will better understand your data archive options. Understanding the size of your data will also help prevent you from overpaying for a service or product whose capacity is far greater than you will ever need. Conversely, this knowledge can also prevent you from wasting money on a product or service whose backup capabilities are insufficient for your needs..
Your Plan:1. An alternative Location(s) such as temporary office or warehouse space should be considered in advance as, depending on the size of the disaster, you may or may not have a place to house your employees, your computer systems, or your inventory.2. Vendor contact information should also be easily accessible and secure in an offsite location. This will allow alternate delivery locations or special instructions to be quickly passed along to vendors. 3. Consider how you will communicate with your customers, both public and private, and take necessary steps to ensure that communication can be made quickly. This could include using a copy of your client contact database for a quick e-mail, a traditional letter sent via U.S. mail, or even an emergency home page on your website explaining your plans during the time of crisis. 4. Keep employee contact information and your employee communications plan offsite. Discuss in advance how this will be accessed in case of a disaster. Communications with your staff will be critical to your quick recovery. Make sure they know what to expect. 5. Make advanced contact with a Computer Rental Firm to assess the availability of the specific computer systems and office equipment that are key to resuming your operation. 6. Organize an offsite collection of at least one set of media for all standard software packages used at your office. This should include a list of software key-codes or access information such as usernames and passwords. 7. Investigate the availability of any critical proprietary software used by your firm. Programs that could not be replaced with a visit to the local software store or that were custom installed by a vendor who left no media must be researched in advance in order to ensure their timely replacement. 8. Consult with a trusted Computer Service Organization to implement a practical data backup procedure and a plan for software installation and data re-Installation. Your Survival:
1. Understand that disasters do happen and your firm's survival
will depend on your ability to quickly recover with a minimum of
data loss. |
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