No business owner likes to think about the worst-case scenarios. However, being able to respond to a disaster is vital to building business resiliency. You should ask yourself – How can I protect my company from data and revenue loss in a crisis?
Unfortunately, power outages, natural disasters, and cyberattacks are much more common than one would believe. There are over 2,220 attacks each day, which translates to one cyberattack every 39 seconds. Many small and medium-sized businesses are finding it too expensive to build an in-house IT team to deal with these issues.
Instead, many are choosing to outsource their IT concerns. These external service providers rely on implementing thoroughly tester continuity and disaster recovery plans. While these two might sound similar, they work symbiotically to create a safety net for your company. Here, we’ll explain how this can benefit your business operations.
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The Importance of Advance Planning

When companies don’t have a proper disaster recovery plan in place, the consequences can be dire. The most harmful effect is financial loss. Without the ability to deliver its products or services, businesses are faced with tough decisions. These losses can lead to cutting employees, losing business partners, and even losing important or sensitive data.
Outsourcing disaster recovery can help companies minimize the harmful effects of such catastrophic events. Business owners are provided with peace of mind. With clear policies for how to respond to disasters, all employees feel much more comfortable in their work setting.
Disaster Recovery Test Scenarios
The main reason why disaster recovery is being outsourced is the tedious testing. The entire process is very resource intensive and takes up a lot of time. While tech giants like Google perform these tests regularly, the smaller business can’t afford this luxury.
Companies like Pro Serv can assist in situations like these. They ensure that you get out operations back online as soon as possible, even in extreme conditions. This is ensured by periodically testing different components of their disaster recovery plans. Let’s take a look at the most important disaster test scenarios.

Communication Breakdown

Communication is often ignored despite being one of the easiest aspects to test. However, this aspect of disaster recovery is vital in cases of catastrophe. Your ability to communicate with other team members should never be interrupted, regardless of which platform you choose.

Hardware Failure

Restoring failed hardware is one of the most critical parts of disaster recovery. Failures can occur from various components, but the most common occurrence is hard disk failure. Setting up a backup computing platform is the best solution. In recent years, cloud-based solutions have grown in popularity.
While the backup platform can remain in your office, it would be a smarter idea to relocate it. IT service providers prefer to use hybrid cloud backups whenever possible. The flexibility of this approach ensures the best results in the long run.
Software Failure

Applications and OSs are also prone to failure. However, even the most frivolous situations can lead to data loss in these cases. Events such as software updates and programming changes can go terribly wrong if poorly executed. While they are less common than hardware failures, these issues are slightly easier to test and prevent.
The key once again lies in frequent backups and snapshots. IT service providers need to ensure this process is successfully completed and the backup data is usable. Depending on the type of your business, these checkups should be performed weekly or even daily.
Network Outage

A network outage can be as harmful as a hardware failure. This is especially relevant in the post-pandemic era when many users are working remotely. Internet cloud connectivity is nowadays as important as your office resources. By simulating network attacks, your IT partners can detect potential threats and prevent harmful events

Data Loss

Data loss is the last, but certainly not the least critical scenario. It can be caused by several factors, including ransomware and malware attacks. Air-gapped backups are an excellent tool to deal with outside threats. They typically require a completely different authentication ID.

Disaster Recovery vs. Business Continuity

Both disciplines serve to minimize the impact of a disastrous event on a company’s ability to recover. While these fields are similar, they are not synonymous. Business continuity mainly deals with outlining how a company should operate during and following minor disasters. These can even include relocation and power outages.
On the other hand, disaster recovery refers to plans a company enforces during events such as fires, acts of terror, active shootings, or cybercrime. Another critical aspect is measuring how long a business needs to return to normal operations.

The Similarities

These two fields are primarily independent, but they overlap in some key areas. Instead of simply reacting to a disaster, they seek ways to minimize the damage by preparing for it ahead of time. They are instrumental in handling pandemics, natural disasters, and even cyberattacks.
To make them the most efficient, they require constant revision. This allows them to match the company’s constantly evolving surroundings. Your IT service provider should focus on continually testing and modifying plans.

The Differences

There is a key difference between business continuity and disaster recovery. The former focuses on keeping business operational during harmful events. The latter is more concerned with restoring data and IT infrastructure after a disaster.
Disaster recovery strategies could also involve implementing additional employee safety measures. These typically include fire drills or even purchasing emergency supplies. Companies can then maintain their operations while ensuring all their employees are safe.

 Preparing for the Future

Analytical and problem-solving skills are essential in a time of crisis. At Pro Serv, we have been helping local businesses in St. Joseph, Kansas City, since 1988. We specialize in protecting, prioritizing, and properly storing your data for those unexpected disasters.
Pro Serv can help you to define your goal based on your business needs. So, don’t hesitate to contact our team today and find out how we can protect your data. We will make sure that your business is fully protected even if disaster strikes.