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A Computer Disaster Recovery Plan is a Business Lifeline
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by: KievCBrownlee
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Word Count: 545
As we become more and more reliant on levels of technology to help us operate our business or personal life, we often ignore at our peril the "what if" scenarios. Our use of this digital technology to help us function and to store all our information carries with it an implied risk -- should something go wrong, you had better be sure that you have a contingency in place. The computer disaster recovery plan is essential and could even be life saving for the business.
The role of management is as much a caretaker as anything else and must be able to imagine the risks facing the company. In a complex or distributed organization, a considerable effort should be put into the construction of a computer disaster recovery plan and it should not be viewed as a one time task, but rather as an ongoing project. As the company expands the plan must be updated and it should be viewed as a critical and secured document.
A whole list of potential problems can be around the corner and as Murphy's Law tells us, whatever could go wrong, will go wrong! In addition to the theft or other malicious activities, the download of a virus could be very problematic. Fire, flooding or weather-related issues could arise or the system could simply fail.
When a computer disaster recovery plan is first constructed, it should contain several critical sections. At the top of the list should be contact information for primary personnel, together with the information for backup employees should the primary be unavailable. If the company employs external security or IT consultants, their details including after hours, should be contained and all information reviewed monthly.
So that you know what you are dealing with in the event of a problem, the computer disaster recovery plan should fully categorize all the information that is stored. Locations and hierarchical levels should be referenced and backup copies, URL addresses of providers maintained. The plan must show how data can be recovered should it be lost.
Large and more complex companies will need to prioritize and thus the plan should detail criticality. It will also be important to outline the consequences of delay and the various time frames that should be adhered to if at all possible. Remember that there could be public relations consequences to address as well.
The consequences of failure can in many cases be devastating. It is the responsibility of management to remind all staff of this and it would be a good idea to conduct a dry run, or a lifeboat drill as practice. There are a variety of different scenarios, but never forget that prevention is very important. There is an ever present threat of virus infestation these days, but with good practices this threat can be virtually eliminated. Vet your employees to make sure that they represent as low a threat as possible when it comes to potential spying or theft issues and try and limit access to critical data as much as possible.
There are a variety of organizations that are skilled in computer disaster recovery plan composition and also in the areas of backup itself. As a business becomes more complex, management should seek out such help and view it as an investment in the future of the company.
About the Author
Author Kiev C Brownlee has a great deal of material about your computer disaster recovery plan options. Visit KBCSI for all your IT management issues.
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