Disaster Recovery FAQ

Whether it's protection against file corruption, a flood or server failure, businesses should have a Disaster Recovery plan in place.

This plan should be at the heart of every business, but unfortunately, many people still don’t understand the basics. To help clear the confusion, we’ve compiled a blog answering the frequently asked questions around business continuity.

What’s the difference between Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery?

The two are often bundled under the same umbrella, but there can be incredibly subtle differences between the two, often varying between organisations. Disaster Recovery is the process you use to resume business after a disruption, where Business Continuity plans are often more long-term. Business Continuity often suggests a more comprehensive approach to Disaster Recovery, making sure that the business operates effectively and keeps making money.

At the end of the day, no matter how subtle the differences may be, both Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity determine how an organisation will continue to function after a disruption until normal facilities are restored.

Where do I start?

A good place to start is to identify vital business systems and processes that are the most important to the business. Generally speaking, the greater the impact, the harder it is to live without and the more money the business would lose.

What should a Business Continuity plan include?

The content of this plan would change for every business regarding the priorities, size, locations and scope of the company. For example, some businesses may hold a greater focus on system recovery as opposed to office location recovery after a flood.

As a basic guideline, the Business Continuity plan should include:

• Analysis of any and all potential threats – including cyber-attacks, natural incidents and user error.
• Key staff – who is responsible for what area?
• Emergency contact information
• A breakdown of crucial systems
• Test strategies – when do you plan to test? How? Who? When?
  
  

You may find our blog ‘five things you should cover in your business continuity plan’ useful.

Do I really have to test regularly?

Yes! There are a number of things that you can only discover and experience by testing the plan. By taking part in the simulation, the more prepared staff will be in a real-life event. They’ll also be more familiar with the strategy, be less likely to panic, reduce user error, and feel more confident with suggestions and finding flaws.

What Disaster Recovery tools do you recommend?

Our recommendation would be entirely dependent on your business and the solution you require! From Veeam Cloud Connect to vSphere replication, each tool has its own benefits, which is why we often offer our customers solutions from our comprehensive CloudCover™ suite.

If you’d like advice on your Disaster Recovery strategy, please contact virtualDCS.