How to Prepare Your Disaster Recovery Plan

If a cyber disaster occurred on your network today, would your data and critical systems be protected? If the answer is no, the damage could be devastating. The truth is, it’s not a matter of “if” but “when.” Being prepared is the only option.

Think about all of the tools your organization uses to keep processes flowing and to store information. Email and phone systems, servers that store all of your data, and employee devices such as laptops and desktop computers could all be compromised with the drop of a hat if your data isn’t backed up. When disaster strikes, the downtime it takes to combat the mess puts your business performance and profitability at risk.

As you begin preparing your disaster recovery plan, be sure to assess what your business can’t live without. Is it the internet? Your accounting system? No matter the case for your unique business, your most critical processes need to be protected with a backup plan.

Here are some ways you can prepare your organization for disaster recovery.

1. Create a disaster recovery team and plan

As we stated earlier, there are a lot of elements to take into account when disaster strikes. Designate a disaster recovery team within your organization and put an official plan into place so that each team member has a specific role assigned to them in case of emergency.

2. Back up important documents and procedures

Where do your employees save their files? You should always be backing up important information. This should include all of your finances like tax information and account statements, employee contact information, any vendors you use, inventory records, and any other vital information unique to your business. At MidnightBlue, we recommend saving all files on a cloud-based service such as Microsoft Teams. That way your files aren’t being saved to the desktop, which risks corruption and takes up a lot of space. Keep in mind though, just because they’re in the cloud, those files still need a backup solution. MidnightBlue can help your organization implement this extra layer of protection. 

3. Identify risks ahead of time

Come together as a disaster recovery team to identify potential risks to your organization. This way, you can develop the right recovery strategy to cover all areas before disaster strikes. This should not only include cyber threats, but other emergencies as well, such as natural disasters. You need to have a “plan B” in place for when these systems and processes go awry. For example, you may want to set up two phone lines in case one goes down. Or, for times when your internet is down, you could implement a 5G Hotspot as a backup. Anything to help get your business back up and running.

4. Test and update your disaster recovery plan

Your business will always go through changes, including implementing new technology. Make it a point to update your disaster recovery plan as these changes occur and put new strategies into place as needed.

5. Consider partnering with a Managed IT Services Provider

A managed IT services provider can set your network up for success by backing up all of your important information so that you’re better prepared in case of disaster. We can also advise your leadership team on the best strategies and tools to include in your disaster recovery plan, based on your unique business.  At MidnightBlue, we offer our clients BlueBackup, a solution created to help your business maintain compliance requirements, recover critical data, and handle reputation management so that nothing slips through the cracks for the customers who depend on your services.

Learn more about BlueBackup, here. Reach out to our team of IT experts for a consultation if you’re interested in keeping your data protected and secured. You can give us a call at 412.342.3800 or shoot us a note at support@midnightbluetech.com.