The Top 3 Disaster Recovery Best Practices for Your Business

Do you own or operate a business or organization? Then creating a sound and actionable disaster recovery plan (DRP) should be a priority. Naturally, there are many ways to put together a plan, so we’ve put together the top three disaster recovery best practices to follow.

A disaster recovery and business continuity plan can ensure an organization’s survival and success during various crises, from natural disasters to cyber-attacks.

A good plan outlines a process for organizations to swiftly resume critical operations post-disaster, preventing revenue loss and operational slowdowns.

In this way, a strong disaster recovery plan supports business continuity, which keeps all business systems up, running, and profitable.

And this continuity is critical — just an hour of downtime can cost a single small business up to $8,000. For midsized companies, this number jumps to $74,000. Larger enterprises can expect losses of up to $700,000.

What is Disaster Recovery?

Disaster Recovery (DR) encompasses strategies to restore IT infrastructure swiftly after disasters, minimizing downtime and data loss. Key components include backup systems, data replication, contingency planning, and testing to ensure readiness for emergencies such as fires, floods, cyber attacks, or hardware failures, enabling effective recovery of critical systems and data.

Types of Disasters

Disaster recovery planning is essential for mitigating the impact of various types of emergencies that can disrupt business operations. Here are the primary types of disasters considered in disaster recovery plans:

Natural Disasters

Natural disasters include events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and tsunamis. These events can cause physical damage to infrastructure, disrupt power supply, and lead to data loss if not properly prepared for. Disaster recovery plans for natural disasters often involve off-site backups, redundant systems, and geographically dispersed data centers to ensure data and operations can be restored quickly.

Cyber Incidents

Cyber incidents encompass a range of threats, including cyber attacks, ransomware, malware infections, and data breaches. These events can compromise data integrity, disrupt services, and lead to significant financial and reputational damage. Disaster recovery plans for cyber incidents typically involve data encryption, intrusion detection systems, regular backups, and incident response protocols to minimize the impact of a cyber attack and ensure swift recovery.

Human Errors and Operational Failures

Human errors, such as accidental deletion of data, misconfiguration of systems, or operational failures due to lack of training, can also lead to downtime and data loss. Disaster recovery plans address these risks through comprehensive backup strategies, user training programs, and automation of routine tasks to reduce the likelihood of human-induced disruptions.

By considering these types of disasters in their disaster recovery planning, organizations can effectively safeguard their critical systems and data, ensuring resilience in the face of unforeseen emergencies.

The Role of Disaster Recovery Planning in Business Continuity

Disaster Recovery Planning plays a crucial role in ensuring business continuity by providing a structured approach to maintaining or quickly resuming operations following a disruptive event. Here’s how DRP supports business continuity:

Minimizing Downtime and Service Disruption

DRP outlines procedures and protocols to minimize downtime and service disruption. By identifying critical systems and processes, establishing recovery time objectives (RTOs), and implementing redundant systems and backups, organizations can swiftly restore operations and mitigate financial losses during unexpected disruptions.

Protecting Data and Assets

DRP includes strategies to protect data and assets from loss or corruption. Regular backups, data encryption, and secure storage mechanisms ensure that critical information remains accessible and intact, even in the event of a disaster. This safeguards against financial penalties, regulatory non-compliance, and reputational damage that may result from data loss.

Enhancing Resilience and Preparedness

DRP enhances organizational resilience by fostering preparedness and responsiveness to emergencies. Through comprehensive risk assessments, scenario planning, and regular testing of recovery procedures, businesses can identify vulnerabilities, improve response capabilities, and adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

Supporting Regulatory Compliance

DRP helps organizations meet regulatory requirements related to data protection, business continuity, and disaster recovery. By adhering to industry standards and compliance frameworks, businesses demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding customer data, maintaining service levels, and ensuring operational continuity in accordance with legal obligations.

Safeguarding Stakeholder Confidence

Effective DRP instills confidence among stakeholders, including customers, partners, and investors, by demonstrating the organization’s ability to manage crises and protect business interests. Transparent communication and proactive measures to minimize disruptions reinforce trust and maintain business relationships during challenging times.

Integrating disaster recovery planning into broader business continuity strategies is essential for mitigating risks, protecting assets, and ensuring uninterrupted operations. By proactively addressing potential threats and implementing robust recovery measures, organizations can navigate disruptions with resilience and maintain their competitive edge in the marketplace.

3 Best Disaster Recovery Practices

As mentioned, it’s important for businesses to employ a series of disaster recovery best practices to keep their organizations protected — and operable — in the event of a disaster.

With the following, your company can safeguard business operations, protect against lost data, and provide secure data and document backup for strong business continuity.

1. Data Back-Up and Storage (Local or Cloud?)

Your primary concern in the event of a disaster is keeping your data safe and available. Cloud computing is becoming ubiquitous in our data-conscious world, and it offers several advantages for disaster recovery, including:

• Automated backup of company programs and data off-site — programs and data can be recopied and restored quickly.
• Redundancy of data banks for maximum data security and availability
• High degree of scalability for ease of expansion
• Automated failover and failback activities

However, local storage is still valuable during disaster recovery efforts. For example, when internet connectivity or other disruptions to external networks are an issue, local storage remains the most reliable choice.

For many businesses, a hybrid combination of local and cloud storage may provide the greatest protection and the best fit. Ultimately, your company should be following all of the cloud disaster recovery best practices, as well as on-site best practices.

2. Test Your Plan Regularly

You won’t truly know the efficacy of your plan in the face of disaster unless you test it. And, since business environments constantly evolve and change, regular testing is advised.

Disaster recovery testing best practices:

• Set clear goals and define specific key performance indicators (KPI) for your test
• Mirror the production environment as closely as possible with the testing environment
• Choose a test that takes your unique business needs into consideration: paper test, disaster simulation, or failover system check
• Complete a review of test results and update your plan as necessary

Continuously test at regular intervals to ensure system adherence, especially after adding new services, changes in human resources, and updates to applications and network infrastructure.

3. Consider Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)

Outsource DRaaS to fill expertise gaps; partners advise on best practices, aligning business needs with IT investments. If you don’t have data backup and recovery service expertise among your in-house staff, outsourcing to a DRaaS partner is a wise choice.

DRaaS utilizes cloud resources for backup, creating a secondary infrastructure to safeguard critical processes during disasters. Partners define data loss limits and adapt to evolving business needs.

A skilled DRaaS partner tests, updates, and adjusts based on test outcomes to ensure maximum security.

What to Avoid in Disaster Recovery Planning

Effective disaster recovery planning requires addressing common pitfalls that can undermine its effectiveness. Here are key pitfalls to avoid:

Inadequate Risk Assessment

Failing to conduct thorough risk assessments can lead to overlooking potential threats and vulnerabilities. Organizations should identify and prioritize risks—such as natural disasters, cyber threats, and operational failures—to develop targeted mitigation strategies and allocate resources effectively.

Lack of Communication

Poor communication during a disaster can delay response efforts and exacerbate the impact on operations. Clear communication channels and escalation procedures should be established to ensure stakeholders are informed promptly and decisions can be made swiftly under pressure.

Insufficient Training

Inadequate training of personnel on disaster response protocols and procedures can hinder effective recovery efforts. However, regular training sessions and drills help familiarize staff with their roles and responsibilities, improving response times and minimizing errors during critical situations.

Neglecting Regular Updates and Testing

Failing to update and test disaster recovery plans regularly can result in outdated procedures or overlooked vulnerabilities. Plans should be reviewed periodically, considering changes in technology, infrastructure, and organizational requirements. Regular testing of recovery procedures ensures readiness and identifies areas for improvement before a real disaster strikes.

By addressing these pitfalls proactively, organizations can enhance the robustness of their disaster recovery plans, mitigate risks effectively, and maintain operational resilience in the face of unforeseen emergencies.

Disaster Recovery Plan Experts

With years of experience in IT and networking services, Kelley Create offers evolving expertise in technology planning for Pacific Northwest businesses.

Our technical experts use cutting-edge tools to protect your network during disasters, ensuring uninterrupted business operations. For expert advice on disaster recovery, business continuity plans, testing, and implementation, contact our Kelley Create specialists today.