A disaster recovery program is crucial to prevent loss of data, avoid security breaches, and maintain clear and consistent communication among staff and key personnel. Without a disaster recovery program, you’re at risk of losing clients and/or needing to temporarily shut your business down to recoup lost data and get up and running again. An IT consultant or IT specialist can help you design a comprehensive disaster recovery program that meets the following criteria:
Identify and Evaluate Disaster Scenarios
The first thing you and your IT consultant will discuss is potential disaster scenarios that could impact your ability to work and/or result in a data breach or data loss. This could include a power outage, storm damage to your worksite, employee or outsider malfeasance, hacking or security breaches, and more. You’ll be encouraged to focus on areas that are the most damaging and most likely to affect your industry or location.
Develop Data Backup and Recovery Plan
If a security breach, power outage, or natural disaster causes a data loss and you don’t have data backup or a recovery plan, your business could be forced to shut down for weeks or even months to recover. Your IT consultant can help you create a data backup routine that includes both onsite and cloud storage options so that your data is protected and recoverable when needed.
Enact a Communication Plan
During a disaster, the ability to communicate clearly and consistently with employees is key to maintaining your business operations. Your IT consultant will help you assign roles to key personnel and develop a plan of action that can be clearly communicated to staff so that they are prepared. You can also devise a plan for relocation of the business to a new site, how to communicate key information to clients or customers in a timely manner, and who to contact in an emergency.
Testing Your Plan
Another key role your IT consultant will play in designing a disaster recovery program for your business is testing the plan to ensure it works. This may include penetration testing to uncover security breaches, insecurities, and weaknesses. It may also include a run-through of the full plan to make sure there are no gaps or inconsistencies.
If you’re ready to set up a disaster recovery program in Arizona for your small business, contact us at Silverado Technologies. We work closely with our clients to identify areas of weakness, create a plan, train staff, and perform robust testing to ensure the plan works. To learn more or schedule an initial consultation, call us today at (520) 903-1580 or contact us online.
