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Downtime of your critical IT systems can be incredibly expensive. Your data is your most valuable corporate asset, and if your systems go down unexpectedly, you may face substantial costs of up to thousands of dollars per minute.
The best way to protect against data loss (and other threats) is for organizations to develop business continuity and disaster recovery protocols that align with their unique operational needs. To help you get started, consider these five essential steps for building an effective IT business continuity plan:

The first step to developing a comprehensive BCDR strategy is to understand the exact threats your company faces — from hurricanes to cyberattacks, and everything in between. While natural disasters have led to instances of data loss, these events only account for around 1 percent of all reported cases, per Beyond Technology. Assessing these risk categories can help you identify which threats are most vulnerable to your organization.

Once you have evaluated all the potential risks, the next step is to review the current state of your IT infrastructure to identify vulnerabilities and opportunities for improvement. It can be a real challenge for organizations that operate thousands of on-premises workstations, as each endpoint is a potential attack vector for would-be hackers. As the internet of things and BYOD culture have grown increasingly commonplace, IT administrators have had to widen the scope of their security protocols to cover a variety of new devices, from smartphones to wireless printers. Consider these critical questions as you review your IT infrastructure:

• How many computers are in use and what OS do they run?
• What other hardware solutions (printers, photocopiers, etc.) have been deployed?
• Do personal devices have access to your network?
• How many employees work remotely?
• Where is data primarily stored, on-premises or offsite?
• Is your data backed up at a disaster recovery site?

Integrating cutting-edge technologies can help you shore up your defenses and protect your network from intentional and accidental damage. After you’ve assessed your current operational environment, the next step is to seek out applications that can strengthen your network security and insulate your endpoints. Some examples include:

Cloud storage:
Storing or backing up your data on a cloud platform can prevent massive data loss following an onsite network or system failure. According to CIO, 20 percent of cloud storage users can recover from site disasters in four hours or less, in part due to the agility of modern data management solutions.

Reboot to restore software:
Hardware failures and software bugs can significantly disrupt your employees’ workflows, leading to productivity losses and a high volume of IT support tickets. Reboot to restore technology allows end users to resolve their computer problems with a simple restart of their workstations, and can even remove malware and ransomware without the need for re-imaging.

The final step for creating a robust business continuity plan for your IT infrastructure is to develop clear, detailed threat mitigation procedures that can address each risk independently. When disaster strikes, each member of your BCDR team must understand what recovery processes they are in charge of, and how to perform their assigned activities as quickly and efficiently as possible. Without a comprehensive response plan, your organization could experience a prolonged outage that may threaten your overall financial stability — 93 percent of companies that lose their data centers for 10 days or more go bankrupt within one year, per Boston Computing Network.

Get help with your business continuity & disaster recovery plan today!

 Addova offers low cost, no-obligation IT assessments. We will identify your current IT risks and provide cost-effective solutions. The report and the knowledge gained is yours to keep with zero obligation and no hard-sell. To learn more, connect with us!

To learn more, give us a call at 800.514.3787 or send us an email to [email protected].