Why Your Business Needs a Disaster Recovery Plan

Why Your Business Needs a Disaster Recovery Plan

The best way to minimise disruption to your business when disaster strikes is to have a tried and tested disaster recovery plan. There are a number of unexpected incidents that can threaten your business security, from human error to natural disasters and cyber attacks. While we hope your business never needs to face these challenges, we’ve seen first-hand that a comprehensive disaster recovery plan ensures minimal downtime, data and financial loss and can help you get back to normal as quickly as possible.

What is a disaster recovery plan?

 

A disaster recovery or DR plan is a detailed plan designed to get you back up and running in the event of an IT disaster. It will consider how to back up and protect your data, how to ensure your systems are secure and the fastest way to get you working again.

Here are five reasons your business needs a disaster recovery plan.

 

1. A disaster recovery plan will give you peace of mind

A disaster recovery plan may seem unimportant – until you need it. When you’re busy with the day-to-day running of your business, planning for something that may never happen probably isn’t at the top of your to-do list. However, taking the time to put together a business continuity and DR plan now acts as insurance for anything that might happen in the future, giving you peace of mind. We are experts in disaster recovery, and can guide you through the process, ensuring every base is covered with minimal input on your end.

 2. Cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated

There are a number of ways your data can be at risk from cyber attacks, from phishing to ransomware. While good IT security will go a long way towards protecting you from cyber threats, you should also have an additional layer of security in the form of a DR plan, so that in the unlikely event of an attack your systems are safe.

3. Downtime will cost your business

No matter what industry you’re in, downtime has the potential to seriously impact your business financially, ranging from loss of revenue to reputation damage and loss of customers. With a disaster recovery plan in place, you’ll be able to resume working as quickly as possible, whether that’s back in the office, remotely or from an alternative site.

4. It’ll keep your data safe

As an organisation you have an obligation to keep your data – and your customers’ data – safe. A good DR plan that accounts for protecting your data will ensure you are compliant with any laws, regulatory standards and industry-specific requirements.

5. A DR plan ensures good customer service

Customers and clients like consistency, and downtime can have a negative impact on the great customer service you pride yourself on providing. To ensure minimal interruptions to the service you provide for your customers, plan ahead: for example, a cloud-based system that allows your team to communicate with customers from anywhere. Even if the worst happens, your customers won’t notice a drop in service.

 

We recommend business continuity and disaster recovery planning to all of our customers, large and small. To talk to us about setting up a DR plan, IT security, or any other aspect of IT support, get in touch.