like any other natural calamity is not something that we can stop from happening. Nature takes its own course and the best thing to do is just accept this fact and invest time on how to carefully plan on what to do whenever such disruptive events happen. Though a very important precautionary measure that should be looked on to is data back up. Backing up files, such as storing them on another location, will definitely ensure business continuity amidst of all these hindrances. It is a good thing to note though that when flooding happens, there is one thing that everyone should be reminded of: plant trees. The result would be a cleaner air to breathe. Well, not a bad idea after all.
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The Five Main Phases of a BCP Manual
for Computer Disaster Recovery
Performing computer disaster recovery may seem to have
been involved with a lot of different processes to guarantee business continuity. Actually, there are only five things to think about in creating a business continuity plan (BCP) manual that will definitely aid in making it easy for many to do disaster recovery, especially those involved in complex computer systems. The BCP
manual can function as your guide in ensuring business longevity.
The five main phases involved in BCP manual development are (((((Obecad)n)))) i masttmehonasleaputi lnialytnentismogeainn slae,ya nd nstdeicass et oipi.gr ohgnnaa,, s n eisz aintivoonl vaecsc ethprteaen csue ba-npdr o cesses. First is impact analysis, where critical and non-critical functions within the organization are differentiated. Critical functions are more susceptible to threats so the need to distinguish functions is needed to meet certain requirements. Threat analysis, on the other hand, involves the identification of threats and their impact to the business.
Lastly, impact scenarios should then be defined for proper documentation.
After impact analysis, there comes solution design to recognize the most cost effective disaster recovery solution from the given scenarios. The third phase, which is implementation, takes place to execute the identified solution design elements. Testing will then be made to obtain organizational acceptance. The design element should meet certain requirements as specified by the organization. Changes have to be made after testing should the need arises. The last phase of the BCP manual is maintenance. It involves the following activities:
(a) confirm the information written in the manual and roll out to all staff and personnel to increase the level of awareness; ((cb)) tteesstt aanndd vveerriiffyy tshoelu dtoiocnusm; aenndte d recovery procedures.
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How to Pursue Outsourcing of Computer
Disaster Plan Recovery
One way you know when to outsource and when not to is to ask yourself how much of your IT computers are covered by outsourcing at this point. If your organization prefers to focus on maintaining inhouse IT personnel and IT maintenance services, then outsourcing would be very difficult to pursue. For one thing, your own organizational culture may make people suspicious about letting outsiders know how your organizational IT systems operate D because in this age when competition is fierce, trade secrets become even more valuable commodities. Allowing outsiders to glimpse your IT system structure may mean permitting people to see any potential weak points. As in any business arrangement, trust and integrity are the watchwords by which you
should judge any potential outsourcing partner.
Some client companies may opt for the least expensive of the Computer Disaster Plan Recovery specialists they find automatically, because they intend to protect their profits. However, such a move may backfire because lower initial cost may not translate into better service for you. Since IT systems are very expensive to invest in, it only makes sense to get the best service you can to protect your investment (which is what Computer Disaster Plan Recovery is all about in the first place.) So you need to examine why your profits should be prioritized over quality service. Sometimes it is still possible to get quality Computer Disaster Plan Recovery service at reasonable prices.
Another thing to take into account is the location of your preferred Computer Disaster Plan Recovery specialist. If your datacenter is located in a remote place like the Philippines, and your Computer Disaster Plan Recovery specialists are located in
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the US, for instance, you might find your data imperiled when your US-based Computer Disaster Plan Recovery specialists cannot make it in time to examine the disaster site.
Even the fastest passenger plane will take some time before it can cross the distance over land and sea D and in Computer Disaster Plan Recovery, time is always a crucial factor for saving data.
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Should We Be Concerned About
Computer Disaster Recovery?
Computer Disaster Recovery may seem like a relatively new area of concern among PC users but it is by no means a new phenomenon.
Actually, many PC users have unfortunately suffered a
degree of data loss every year in the past. When you compute for it, in 1998 alone, US companies lost as much as $11.8 billion due to data loss. If many IT professionals had already been experienced in Computer Disaster Recovery at that time, most likely the losses would not have been as severe.
Computer Disaster Recovery can either be practiced (or outsourced) to an independent consultancy firm or assigned to your
inhouse IT staff. Either way, someone has to be on-site 24/7 so that Computer Disaster Recovery can be addressed as soon as a disaster strikes. The problem is that many IT professionals may be acquainted only with simple drive recovery efforts and think that
that already constitutes Computer Disaster Recovery. Simple drive recovery alone is already very expensive (it will cost a business $7,500 to implement) and is not automatically a sure-fire solution to resort to.
Computer Disaster Recovery should become a more prevalent area of concern for US companies, because statistics show that US businesses suffer more than $12 billion in losses annually due to data loss at present. As much as 78% of data loss is attributed to system or hardware failure. On the other hand, 11% of data loss is believed to be caused by human error. Software corruption alone causes just 7% of total data loss nowadays.
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The Value of Preparing a Computer
Disaster Recovery Plan Beforehand
One of the worst things you may ever face is being caught in a disaster without any weapon to fight with. However, it is a fact of life that disaster may happen when we least expect it. The best weapon against these disasters is preparedness. This is true even when it comes to computers. Computer professionals have made great strides - from being simply prepared to creating a system which allows for disaster recovery even when the unexpected occurs.
Your disaster recovery plan should focus on data protection.
This data protection is the process, procedures and policies for regaining access to data, records, hardware and software that are essential to business operations and have been subjected to a natural or man-made disaster. No business is immune from experiencing such a serious
