In today’s increasingly digital world, few businesses can survive without a functioning information technology (IT) infrastructure. So, what happens if something endangers this infrastructure or, even worse, disrupts it altogether? Nothing good. In fact, the consequences of this can be nothing short of catastrophic, impacting operations, security, and overall business continuity. Fortunately, there’s a way to mitigate these risks and quickly resume work after such an incident – disaster recovery. Keep reading to learn when an efficient disaster recovery plan is necessary and what it should contain.

When Is Disaster Recovery Needed?

Thanks to a self-explanatory name, you can probably guess the answer to this question – when a disaster strikes. But what is actually meant by this ominous term “disaster?” Check out some of the most common disasters businesses can plan for below:
• Power outage
• Cyber attack
• Natural disaster (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, etc.)
• Application failure
• Communication failure
• Location-specific disaster (data center, building, city, region, nation, etc.)

The Key Elements of an Efficient Disaster Recovery Plan
At its core, a disaster recovery plan is a document that outlines the approach to recovering data and getting the IT infrastructure up and running as quickly as possible. But there’s much more to this plan than simply drafting a document.
Your business must conduct several types of analyses (risk, business impact, etc.) before having all the necessary information to create such a plan. And even when created, the plan must be extensively tested and correctly implemented for it to be effective during a crisis.
But if you create a comprehensive plan containing these five elements, you’ll have no trouble navigating real-life disruptions.
1. A Complete List of the Physical and Digital Inventory
Before you go into protection mode, you must know exactly what you’re protecting. Since disasters can strike both on the digital and physical plain, you’ll want to account for all the inventory that can be impacted by them.
For physical assets, you’ll have to list all the equipment, machinery, supplies, and other tangible assets vital for your business’s operations.
The digital realm is where this gets a bit more complex. You’ll need to list every piece of hardware, software, and peripherals used by your employees, vendors, and contractors. To account for all of these, you must comb through your business’s on-premise, cloud-based, and mobile technologies.
The physical log will primarily help with insurance claims, while the digital log will help your disaster recovery technicians know precisely what might’ve been affected during the unplanned event.
2. A Recovery Time Objective
The success of a disaster recovery plan is primarily measured by how fast it can recover your data and allow business continuation. That’s why every efficient disaster recovery plan should contain a recovery time objective (RTO).
In simple terms, this number defines how fast a business wants to resume its operations after a disaster. The shorter this time, the more resources the business will have to invest in disaster recovery.
Let’s say that your RTO is one hour. Just imagine the amount of manpower and effort needed to completely recover a disaster-stricken system in only 60 minutes. That’s why longer recovery time objectives (24 to 48 hours) are more common and feasible.
Whatever the objective of your business, it shouldn’t surpass your downtime and data loss tolerance. In other words, your infrastructure should be restored to its former glory before you suffer significant damage to your business operations.
3. An Appointed Disaster Recovery Team
Sure, businesses often outsource the data recovery portion of a disaster recovery plan. But this doesn’t mean your employees shouldn’t know what to do if a disaster strikes. Having a well-trained disaster recovery team during a crisis can do wonders for your recovery time.
So, define essential tasks within the recovery process and assign them to specific team members. Make sure that the roles and responsibilities of each member are clearly defined and explained. After all, things can get quite hectic mid-crisis, so it’s crucial for team members to execute their roles smoothly.
For instance, one team member can be in charge of the communication with your business stakeholders. Another can train new team members to get them up to speed. And don’t forget to appoint the role of a decision-maker, the person who can officially declare an event an emergency. Without them, the disaster recovery plan can’t be set in motion.
4. A Comprehensive Communication Plan
Communication is key in all business-related activities, and disaster recovery is no different. In fact, one can argue that proper communication is even more crucial in this scenario, as it promotes swift action necessary to come out the other end triumphant.
The disaster recovery plan should outline the communication protocols with all the essential people – the employees, vendors, contractors, stakeholders, and customers. Basically, it should tell you how and when to contact them and what to tell them.
5. Reliable Data Backups
Almost no recovery can take place if your data isn’t backed up. That’s why defining the frequency and location of data backups is an essential part of a disaster recovery plan.
These backups should be safely stored at an off-site data center with multiple layers of protection. Keeping them accessible from the main company network will only put them in danger too in the case of a cyberattack.
A cloud-based backup is another excellent solution, as it simplifies data recovery. You can even consider both storage options simultaneously, as the cloud can ensure data availability even if the off-site systems fail.

Bouncing Back in No Time

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Create a comprehensive disaster recovery plan, and failure won’t be an option. Given the importance of disaster recovery, the best course of action is to leave it to the professionals.
Enter ProServ.
With our reliable data backup and disaster recovery services, your business will be safeguarded against the unexpected at all times.
Get in touch with our disaster recovery experts today, find out more about the benefits of disaster recovery, and take the first step toward a more secure future for your St. Joseph or Kansas City business.