Why Your Business Needs a Disaster Recovery Strategy
For large and small businesses alike, operational disruption can often seem inevitable. Disruptions come in many forms – it can be as unpredictable as an earthquake or a power cut, or as targeted as data theft or a cyber attack. Whatever the disturbance, the outcome remains the same. Your data is inaccessible and your day grinds to a halt as your employees scramble to access your business network. It’s the inevitability of this situation that begs the question; what if your business could plan ahead? Better yet, what if your business could plan ahead with a forward-thinking, innovative disaster recovery strategy that minimises downtime and maximises business continuity?
With the inevitability of downtime always lurking just over the horizon, it’s never been more important for modern businesses to implement a disaster recovery strategy in their day-to-day operations. This is especially pertinent as we understand the reliance we have on technology to simply get us through the day – more so for businesses who require fast, reliable internet, VoIP services and other important services to maintain continuity in their operations.
As our modern, fast-paced digital landscape moves and evolves, many businesses are turning to bespoke disaster recovery strategies to boost productivity and nurture growth. So what is disaster recovery? And does your business really need a disaster recovery strategy?
What is disaster recovery?
As the name implies, disaster recovery is an important process in which a business or organisation regains access to its digital assets and IT infrastructure following a disruption. It’s a crucial component of business continuity and can be the difference between regaining access quickly or extended costly downtime.
In the ever-changing digital climate that is our modern world, the last thing your business wants to deal with is disruption. Unfortunately, disasters can strike both large and small businesses alike at any point – and while some disruptions can be predicted and nipped in the bud before they escalate, there are some disasters such as cyber attacks and natural weather events that cannot be predicted.
As a result, disaster recovery services have been a hugely important component of modern business operations. Without a sufficient disaster recovery strategy, you run the risk of extended downtime, a loss of productivity and a decrease in profitability.
How does it work?
The process of disaster recovery relies on the replication of data within a backup. This backup is ideally kept offsite, which (as the name suggests) means it will be stored in a specialised environment away from your centralised office or workspace. This means if your networks go down as a result of equipment failure, a natural disaster, or even perhaps losing access during a cyber attack, your business will still be able to access and recover your digital assets and data as quickly as possible from the offsite location where your backup is stored.
This is also why it’s paramount to regularly back up your server, networks and systems. Ideally, you’ll be able to transfer everything over to a remote location, meaning if you do lose access you’ll be able to gain control and continue your operations even in the event of a disruption.
Does my business need a disaster recovery strategy?
From minor downtime to utter chaos, disruption can have a lasting impact on your business in more ways than one. So, does your business need a disaster recovery strategy?
The answer is a resounding yes. For large and small businesses alike, there’s nothing worse than experiencing an even minor disruption without a strategy in place to regain access. What’s more a disaster can have a dramatic effect on both your productivity and your reputation as a business.
Putting a forward-thinking strategy in place to curb the impact of any potential disruptions is essential to large and small businesses alike. Benefits include:
Better Security
Cyber attacks, especially those involving ransomware, are on the rise. With cyber attacks becoming increasingly more sophisticated and convincing, it is crucial that you incorporate an offsite backup and disaster recovery strategy into your everyday operations. Without a well-thought-out plan, your business runs the risk of being targeted.
Business continuity
It goes without saying that every second your operations are down and offline during a disruption is bad for business. Disasters can irreparably harm your reputation as well as your revenue and profitability. Perhaps most important, the productivity of your team will also almost definitely be negatively impacted by a disturbance.
If you have a disaster recovery strategy in place, your business should be able to swiftly restore access to its digital network in the event of an interruption. This cements business continuity, gives your staff the freedom to complete their jobs without interruption and fosters operational growth.
Increased customer retention
As a business, your primary goal should be customer trust and retention. After all, why should your clients trust your company or the services you are providing if they can’t trust you with their personal information and other sensitive data?
One of the numerous advantages of adopting a bespoke disaster recovery strategy is making sure your staff have the necessary expertise and knowledge required to respond to client enquiries in the wake of both minor and severe disruptions. This ensures your clients are kept informed as well as gives the impression your company is well-run and prepared in the face of a disaster and/or crash.
More cost-effective
Costs are among a disruption’s most severe drawbacks. It goes without saying that operational disruptions can be extremely expensive situations for large and small businesses alike, from fines arising from the compromise of critical data to a loss of production and revenue. Making sure you have a bespoke disaster recovery plan in place can be the difference between having a long, expensive outage and quickly regaining online access.
Heightened productivity
Other advantages of disaster recovery is the establishment of continuity and the ensuing increase in productivity.
In the event of a disruption, your staff will know exactly what to do to get you back online as quickly as possible. A detailed, well-planned disaster recovery strategy will guarantee your staff are aware of their specific responsibilities in maintaining the security of crucial data and information. Additionally, they will be aware of how to respond in an emergency, which can increase their effectiveness in the event a crisis does occur.
How does my business implement a disaster recovery strategy?
A professional IT support provider is the simplest and most straightforward approach to integrating a disaster recovery plan into your organization’s daily operations. That’s why these days, both large and small businesses alike are looking to managed IT support for help with their technology.
There is no doubting the advantages of hiring a specialised IT company to handle your IT infrastructure and digital assets, from internet connectivity to creating a bespoke disaster recovery strategy.
Proactive management guarantees business continuity in your operations and can even prevent disruptions altogether. This means your IT support service will be able to address problems with your digital assets and IT infrastructure before they escalate.
Can I just train my staff?
Training your current employees may seem like the logical decision. However, it’s important to ask yourself; do you really want your employees to forget about the role you hired them to do? Outsourcing the management of your tech to a professional IT support company means your team will have more time to focus on their own tasks which can ease tension within your business operations, boost productivity and foster a sense of community in your centralised office.
So what other benefits does an IT support company offer?
Service level agreement (SLA)
Working with a specialised IT support provider has several benefits, one of which is a service level agreement. A service level agreement, as its name suggests, is a contract between your business and your IT support provider that specifies the level of service offered to you, your team and your business. Also known as an SLA, it essentially means that your IT support company is required by contract to give your company a specific response and resolution time.
A service level agreement with your IT support provider will guarantee that your disaster recovery plan is well-planned, forward-thinking and effective. Additionally, your IT service will be contractually obligated to restore your operations within the predetermined window of time.
A single point of contact
IT Support companies provide a heightened level of accessibility that can boost your productivity as well as improve the performance of your technology. If your employees call you every time there’s a technical problem, you can rest assured knowing your IT support provider can provide your team with a single point of contact in the case of a crash or disruption.
Cost-effective
Outsourcing the management of your tech can dramatically cut your overhead expenditures. A professional IT management company can manage your digital assets and infrastructure for you and your team for a fraction of the expense of hiring an in-house IT staff member, who would normally cost a business an annual salary plus benefits.
In addition, a lot of professional IT support companies provide flexible payment options, such as short-term contracts with no long-term commitment. This means that even small businesses, which often have fewer employees and profitability than larger companies, can still outsource the management of their tech to a professional IT support company.
More resilient infrastructure
These days, most businesses both large and small are wholly reliant on their IT infrastructure and digital assets to get through the day. Fortunately, an IT support company can proactively monitor your network and keep everything under constant surveillance. This results in a more secure and resilient infrastructure and ensures any issues and problems with your hardware are resolved before they escalate.
Disaster recovery at Acronyms IT Support
From reducing overhead costs to ensuring a faster recovery in the event of a crash or disruption, no business, big or small, can afford to neglect its disaster recovery strategy. No business wants to think about let alone pre-empt a disruption in their operations. However, in the fast-paced, digital world we live in, it’s never been more important. Having the right plan in place can be the difference between extended, costly downtime and getting back online as soon as possible.
For both large and small businesses alike, operational disruption can seem unavoidable. Disruptions can take many different shapes; they can be as random as an earthquake or a power outage, or they can be as malicious and as targeted as a cyber attack.
The inevitability of a disruption begs the question – what if your company could plan ahead of a disaster? Even better, what if your company could prepare in advance with a proactive, cutting-edge disaster recovery strategy that not only minimises downtime but maximises business continuity?
The team at Acronyms IT Support has been helping large and small businesses alike with their disaster recovery strategies since 2003. Our experienced team of consultants, engineers and technicians offer a vast array of innovative digital solutions, from the implementation of disaster recovery plans to other innovative digital solutions such as cyber security and managed IT services. Our knowledgeable staff can assess your operations and implement the bespoke disaster recovery plan you need to cement continuity in your day-to-day operations.
If you have any questions about implementing a disaster recovery strategy within your business operations or would like to speak to a member of our team about our managed IT services, contact Acronyms IT Support today.