Data recovery refers to the restoration or retrieval of data when your network has been compromised. The data may have been lost during hardware or system failures, mistakenly erased, or sabotaged in some way by a cyber attack. With so much critical data inherent in your computer systems and IT infrastructure, businesses are completely dependent on these systems to function properly.
Prevention measures and disaster recovery procedures are designed to make sure that your company does not suffer data loss in the first place. However, a data recovery plan should always be in place should the worst case situation occur. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when developing a data recovery plan.
1. Identify the most critical data.
Every email, every order placed, and every note on a file – the sheer amount of data which is created and saved every day may be too overwhelming to recreate immediately following an incident. Your plan should determine and identify the exact data which is necessary to restore essential processes in the short term.
2. Perform a risk analysis.
Make a list of all possible threats to your data, such as viruses and malware attacks, user errors and data deletions, or natural disasters. Prioritize these threats by evaluating their impact and probability of occurrence.
3. Make data recovery a priority – and a budget item.
Employees from all aspects of the business should work in concert with the IT department to evaluate the data used in day to day operations. The goal is to establish which data is the most crucial for a successful business continuity process, and which data should be restored the most rapidly. Most IT departments spend between 2 and 8% to have a plan in place for the most critical data, while some data may be deemed not needed in an emergency.
4. Write specific procedures and plans.
Your IT team will spearhead the data recovery plan effort, with input solicited from each department. It is important to identify a high level, overall strategy first, and then to break the data recovery plan down into individual tasks assigned to specific team members. This comprehensive plan should clearly outline priorities, responsibilities and communication strategies in the event of a catastrophic failure. A qualitative checklist will give you a concrete method of determining if your situation has returned to normal once all procedures have been employed.
5. Test, test, then test again.
A plan is only as good as its last test. Regular rehearsals of your data recovery plan will allow you to determine if the procedures and goals are still relevant. Each member of the Recovery Team should be involved in order to make the most comprehensive determination. As your company adds new hardware, software, applications and systems, additional training or even new employees might be required in order to keep your organization best protected.
Did You Know? 83% of IT professionals recognize a need for at least some assistance from outside managed services firms.
Given the critical nature of your data, it is essential to create a data recovery plan – and the managed services professionals at Alliance IT are the best team to call in the Sarasota area. We can help you to determine your risk, set your procedures, and measure your success. We can also help you to avoid and/or mitigate any losses which occur due to malware, cyber attacks, and ransomware. Your data is to important to leave its protection to chance. Call us today to write a comprehensive data recovery plan to protect your business.
