If you are a small business or just starting out, you might be a bit daunted by the idea of creating or updating a disaster recovery plan. It’s something that a lot of businesses find it all too easy to overlook, but a DRP is vital for the IT safety of your business, especially with the ever-growing threats of cybercrime, malware, ransomware and hacking.
But how do you know when it’s the right time to update your company’s DRP? It can be a big job, and requires a thorough knowledge of both your IT situation and your business overall.
So Syntax IT Support London is here to help you know when it’s the right time to update your business’s DRP – so that you do it right.
What is a DRP?
In order to successfully update your DRP, you need to be 100% familiar with what a DRP is. In simple terms, it’s a process or a set of procedures that have been put in place in your business to help you recover from IT threats or disasters, and protect you from them happening in the first place. Not sure how it is implemented? Then reaching out to a professional offering managed IT services Calgary (or elsewhere) could be worthwhile.
By having a professional IT provider review your DRP, you can be sure that it is up to date and effective in protecting your business. They can also offer you a set of guidelines so that you are aware of what to do in the event of a disaster. This means your business will not suffer in case of a disaster.
But what are the signs that tell you it’s time to spruce up your business’s DRP? There are a few of them, and some of them may resonate with you and your business.
You have never done a disaster recovery test
If you’ve never performed a full test on your DRP, it’s very likely that your theoretical plan has missed major factors out of your IT security. You may even find that critical data which you thought was backed up actually isn’t.
Similarly, if you’ve done a disaster recovery test and found that the plan is not quite hitting the mark, then it’s probably time for an update. This may sound obvious, but if your current DRP isn’t backing up all data or isn’t being carried out in the desired timeframe, this is a clear sign for an upgrade which many businesses think it easier to bury under the sand.
You’re not sure how long a disaster recovery would take
A DRP needs to be very accurate and detailed in order to be effective. If yours doesn’t provide you with a clear timeframe for disaster recovery then you’re probably looking at an outdated, or even unusable plan.
One of the key factors of a successful disaster recovery is the incorporation of realistic expectations for just how long the recovery will take. You also need to know how you will manage the company during the recovery period.
These are two major necessities of any DRP. You don’t want to get a nasty shock at just how long your recovery process will take.
You don’t have a designated IT recovery team
Having a set of staff members who are dedicated to disaster recovery is a great way of speeding up your recovery process, as well as avoiding any panic. Putting accountability for recovery on a set of specific individuals with the proper skills means that everybody knows who to go to in the case of IT failure. If you do not have a reliable IT workforce, consider outsourcing it. There are several managed IT services that can help you in aws disaster recovery and a lot more.
You haven’t checked your DRP in a year or more
Even if you have a DRP in place – and even if you think you’re happy with it – you should take the time to check it over at least every few months. Everything from a change in devices to an update of software can impact on your DRP, so make sure it evolves to accurately reflect your business.
