Disaster recovery and business continuity planning are increasingly common buzzwords in the corporate space. And that’s no surprise: IT is increasingly central to business operations, and the sudden loss of functionality can cause a dizzying kaleidoscope of unpleasant repercussions. To keep your company safe, it helps to know which security options are on the market. Here’s what you need to know.
What Is Disaster Recovery?
Disaster recovery (DR) is a specific type of security planning. The approach aims to respond swiftly to significant computer and network outages. This involves putting systems in place that will relaunch mission-critical functions as soon as possible following a mishap. ‘Disaster’ is quite a broad term that refers to anything that prevents a company from operating. This covers everything from a temporary blackout during a power cut, to a loss of equipment due to a natural disaster, to a major cyber attack.
What Is Business Continuity Planning?
Business continuity planning (BCP) is the broader prevention and recovery system that underpins disaster recovery. The aim is to keep organisations functional, no matter what happens. Business continuity planning involves ensuring that potential threats are identified well in advance, that key personnel are identified, and that everybody is trained to know how to respond in an emergency. Each business has slightly different threats and primary needs, so business continuity planning is a personalised preparedness and rapid response system.
How Do Disaster Recovery And Business Continuity Work Together?
It is helpful to think of both disaster recovery and business continuity in the same way as any other emergency protocol, such as fire preparedness. Disaster recovery is similar to having a fire extinguisher on hand, whilst business continuity is the equivalent of holding regular fire drills and fire safety courses. In this way, they tackle the same problem from different angles. The overall goal of both is to prevent extended interruption to business operations, and by being implemented together they work in powerful tandem.
What Would Happen If Neither Is Implemented?
There are many horror stories of what can go wrong without disaster recovery or business continuity planning. The immediate effect is financial, with every minute of downtime costing money. However, longer-term effects include the loss of consumer confidence that follows a PR dent. When businesses are crippled by an IT disaster, it makes for juicy reading, so very few manage to keep the episode under the radar. The quicker and more efficiently the problem is solved, the better.
Disaster recovery and business continuity planning can also have unexpected benefits. For instance, studies have shown that cyber attacks create anxiety and harm within the workplace, and this can lead to unpleasant outcomes such as increased turnover. With good strategic planning and support, this type of psychological upset can be avoided.
What Next?
If you want to learn more about keeping your organisation safe and preventing unnecessary downtime, get in touch with TMB Group today and request a callback.
Image Source: pixabay.com