Six More Weeks of Winter? How a Sound BCDR Plan Can Help You Weather Any Storm

With Groundhog Day just around the corner, all eyes will soon be on Punxsutawney Phil as we wait in anticipation for him to determine the fate of our weather for the next year. Coming off the heels of blizzard Jonas, which wreaked havoc on most of the east coast, many, including myself, will be waiting in hopeful anticipation for a cloudy day. 

Folklore aside, natural disasters and extreme weather can unexpectedly hit throughout the year, so it is critical for organizations to approach business continuity and disaster recovery(BCDR) as a proactive vs. reactive discipline. These are a few steps IT teams can take to ensure true preparedness in the event of a natural disaster: 

•    Create and test a disaster recovery plan;
•    Backup critical data and store offsite;
•    Staff an in-house disaster response team;
•    Keep critical staff on standby and in close proximity to the data center by providing hotel accommodations, as needed;
•    Review physical security procedures;
•    Ensure critical vendors and supplies are alert and on hand; and
•    Confirm emergency communication mechanisms are working. 

While natural disasters and inclement weather are unavoidable occurrences, having a sound and actionable BCDR plan can help limit the impact it has on IT operations and your business. 

For more information on how the cloud can help businesses meet the new realities of BCDR download the white paper “How Cloud Services are Transforming BCDR.”