Is Your Network Ready If Disaster Strikes?
Posted on 03-01-11
March 20-26, 2011 marks “Severe Weather Awareness Week” in Ohio, which serves to remind us that hazardous weather events can result in a myriad of complications, from prolonged power outages to loss of property. Many of us will make preparations for our families and our homes for such weather emergencies, but are you making the same preparations for your business?
Just as with your home and personal property, the best defense for protecting your business is preparedness and having a disaster recovery plan in place to ensure your business remains operational in the event of a severe weather emergency.
The following are a few items you should keep in mind in relation to protecting your network when developing a disaster recovery plan for your business.
Battery Backups
While a generator can provide an alternative power source during service disruptions, it doesn’t protect your computer or network from a power outage. A system crash caused by an outage can be devastating to your network resulting in not only physical damage, but possibly the corruption and/or loss of your data, which is why battery backups are crucial to your network.
Battery backup devices provide two major functions. They sustain power to your computer and network equipment in the event of a power outage, and most good battery backup units also provide some level of power conditioning. The better battery systems (often used on servers) can even provide protection from voltage sags and surges. In case of an extended outage, battery backup units can implement an orderly shutdown of your equipment.
At a minimum, battery backup systems should be provided for all servers on your network, though it’s highly recommended that critical network devices (firewalls, routers, switches, etc.) also be considered for battery units as well. For the highest level of protection workstations should also be included.
Offsite Data Storage
The most important asset of any business, regardless of its size, is its data. The loss of data due to severe weather events can easily put businesses at risk. Tape backups are the most common solution but have some drawbacks, including implementation costs, the need for internal staff to maintain and operate, and can be a hassle when key data needs to be recovered as quickly as possible.
Storing data offsite with a trusted third-party is a simple, secure, and affordable solution.
It’s cost effective—requiring no capital, tape storage, or operational costs, just a recurring monthly fee. It’s reliable—with automated daily backups, redundancy with both local and online backups, resulting in less down time and data recovery in just minutes. It’s safe—providing an encrypted backup process, thus data never travels unencrypted even during the restoration process.
Remote Access
Disruptions to normal business operations can result in missed opportunities, a reduction in productivity, or worse yet, loss of revenue.
Inclement weather is but one of many reasons to consider some form of remote access solution for your business as it enables employees to work from home or other remote location, access critical date, and conduct business as usual as if they were in the office.
Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan
An effective disaster recovery plan should include the involvement of both management and its technology partners and incorporate preparations for not only those once-in-a-lifetime events like the storm of the century, but also for common occurrences caused by severe weather like power outages, which can wreak havoc if protective measures aren’t in place.
If you’d like more information, contact Opti-Vise at 800.834.7479, and we’d be happy to assist you to proactively protect your network as part of your disaster recovery plan.
