Why Every Company Should Have a Data Disaster Recovery Plan

Accidents or disasters can and do happen at the most inopportune moments. In the case of businesses, which make use of databases, the worst possible thing that can happen next to an out and out calamity is system downtime or failure.

Securing important data files is integral to today’s businesses. Not being able to recover and reconstruct critical data could force certain companies to fold up. Yes, data files are the lifeblood of most industries - without them it would be impossible for day to day functions to go on.

When we say disaster, we don’t only mean natural calamities like earthquakes, fires, or floods. In most companies an unexpected hard disk failure, server crash, power failure or even a virus attack already counts as a major disaster. 

Picture your office without its computer hard drives.   Next, imagine that the shelves upon shelves of files and reports are missing, including those stored in floppies, zip disks and flash drives.  Without the computers, you would be unable to make new print outs of these files.

Of course, you may argue that the chances of all these being wiped out at the same time is slim to none. But that’s the whole point of disaster preparedness - you’ll never know when the disaster is going to strike, but you get ready for it nonetheless. 

If it were up to you to retrieve all the lost information, what would you do and how would you go about doing it?  Yes, it’s time to map out a plan!

Crafting a data disaster recovery plan is key to an event that has adversely affected the functions of your company’s data center. Simply having a backup site won’t do - what you need is a through plan of action that must cover all crucial sectors and leave not a single concern unaddressed.

It may take weeks and whole slew of intelligent minds to formulate a data disaster recovery plan.  Once it’s drafted, the next important step would to test it in an actual disaster scenario. The mock data disaster recovery exercise entails going through each step of the data disaster recovery plan being tested. 

It may require going to the backup site to secure the most recent file back ups or establishing a temporary data center until such time that normal functions are restored after the  "disaster" has passed. 

One of the most important aspects of data disaster recovery plan is the backup site. 

There are several types, but the simplest one to set up would be the cold backup site. This data disaster recovery strategy is nothing but vacant space where you begin the process of reconstructing previous data files in an attempt to return to normalcy.

During disasters or accidents, the most recent backups from the data center will serve as the backbone of your recovery process. This is why apart from ensuring that back ups are conducted regularly, you must also consider having several copies of the back up files made and stored off-site.

Depending on your resources and the amount of back up data available, you will surely be able to bounce back from a data disaster if you followed the steps of your data disaster recovery plan. 

Besides trial runs or emergency drills, the data disaster recovery plan must be regularly assessed and reviewed for effectiveness. From time to time, it would be necessary to create an updated version of the plan to keep pace with the evolving nature of data. 

Finally, remember that merely having a data disaster recovery plan does not ensure the safety and security of your data.  

Having a tried and tested data disaster recovery plan is but a single drop in the ocean of emerging threats to data security.  It would be wise to remain vigilant and always keep an eye out for new developments and trends.