What are the myths about disaster recovery
Every myth you hear or read about disaster recovery is not true, nor is every fact. That's the reason why we have done our research and came up with this informative article to let you know about the myths associated with disaster recovery.
There are several myths about disaster recovery; there's a low chance that a disaster can strike an organization, businesses cannot be affected by a disaster, backed-up data can be quickly recovered, disaster recovery is costly, and organizations cannot trust disaster recovery services. I will encourage you to keep reading.
Read on to learn more about the common problems in disaster recovery and much more.
What are the myths about disaster recovery
How would you recover your data if a catastrophe hit your organization? Would you have to start from scratch? Having a disaster recovery plan would be good to ensure your client's data is safe from external attacks or natural occurrences. A disaster recovery plan restores your entire infrastructure in case of a crisis where you lose everything.
Most businesses fail due to a lack of preparedness when a calamity befalls them. There also exist many misconceptions about the effectiveness of the data recovery process. Organizations have different reasons for not having a disaster recovery plan. Here are some myths about disaster recovery you should know about:
1. There's no chance that disaster can strike our organization
Tragedy can happen anywhere and at any time. Some business owners think they don't need a disaster recovery plan because their location doesn't have a history of catastrophic occurrences. Natural calamities are not the only issues that bring losses to a business. Other factors contribute to predicaments:
- Human error
- Malware infections
- Power outages
- Sabotage
2. A company cannot be affected by a disaster
Thinking that tragedy cannot strike your business is another myth some business owners believe. No company is exempt from a calamity without adequate planning ahead of time. A disaster could affect your infrastructure, paralyzing your entire business. Ransomware attacks could also result in extensive damage and compromise your clients' data. Unless you have a disaster recovery plan to recommence activities in a short time, a crisis will result in extended downtime for employees and customers.
3. Backed-Up Data is quickly recovered.
Many business leaders don't understand the difference between data backup and data recovery. You can back up data, but it doesn't guarantee a full recovery of your data in case of a calamity. With a data recovery plan, all your data is retrieved, and you resume operations in a short time. With backups, you can recover:
- Hardware failures
- Minor cyber attacks
- Accidental data deletion
- Host failures
- Recovery backup helps you regain your data when there are:
- Large-scale cyber attacks
- Region-wide failures, e.g., Tornados, fires, power outages
Backing up your data does not include your IT infrastructure or other crucial resources.
4. A business cannot afford to pay for a disaster recovery plan because it's costly.
Earlier on, before cloud technology, firms built similar sites which were a replica of their IT infrastructure. Most small and medium-sized companies could not afford it, leaving them prone to disaster. Today, companies have the privilege to use the disaster recovery as a service(DRaaS) approach, which eliminates the previously replicated site's expenses for:
- Owning or renting space
- I am traveling to the secondary site from the primary data centers.
- Costs incurred for bandwidth, power, and cooling
- Buying or renting servers and storage.
- Disaster recovery as a service is a cost-effective approach that small and medium-sized businesses can afford.
5. A Company can't trust another organization with our disaster recovery service.
Organizations often find it challenging to work with other companies where sensitive data is involved. But most data recovery services provide professional services with no room for errors. The providers meet strict service-level agreements, having well-articulated recovery points and recovery time objectives customized for the business.
Other myths about disaster recovery are:
- Disaster recovery is only for large organizations- small and medium-sized firms are also eligible for the plan.
- You already have a perfect disaster recovery plan-calamities are unpredictable, so your ideal plan may not work.
- You know that you won't have much downtime in case of a crisis-Time is money. The more time, the more money you lose.
What are the main issues in disaster recovery
It takes a business a lot of time and resources to set up an effective disaster recovery plan to ensure it doesn't lose its data in a crisis. Developing and executing that plan needs you to conquer several challenges. If you avoid and know how to handle these challenges, you'll be a step further in your disaster recovery. Here are the main issues in disaster recovery:
| Lack of planning |
Failure to plan how you would access your data in case of a calamity is planning to fail. You need a proper and practical plan to recover your data if the worst happens. |
| Failure to test your disaster recovery plan |
You may put the necessary measures to ensure a predicament does not affect your organization. Unfortunately, it's impossible to know the efficacy of your plan without a test. If a catastrophe hits, your business will suffer the same fate as a company without a disaster recovery plan. |
| Using a wrong or inadequate plan |
A good disaster recovery plan should be precise and short but contain essential information. |
Failure to utilize the current technology |
There are many ways you can end up using the wrong technology: Use of outdated media, Wrong techniques, Old equipment, and If you go for the cheapest technology, you will probably fail in your plan. |
| Inadequate management information |
Documentation and information are the most critical elements of a successful disaster recovery plan. Communication is required during the crisis and recovery. You need clear documentation about the actions undertaken by your staff. You should know: Who manages the recovery process? Who is in charge of communication with clients, banks, employees, and media? Who oversees the replacement of infrastructure needed to resume business? |
Infrastructure changes |
Disaster recovery plans are made with specified infrastructure and systems for recovery. New infrastructure and expired systems mean the program can be ineffective in a catastrophe. |
Why Should You have a Disaster Recovery Plan?
Disaster recovery plans must address all vulnerabilities. When a disaster causes system failure, a disaster recovery plan aims to minimize harm or disruption and recover as quickly as possible. Below are some benefits of having a disaster recovery plan:
- Enhanced security
- Customer retention
- Increased productivity
- Cost-efficiency
Most businesses fail due to a lack of preparedness when a calamity befalls them. There also exist many misconceptions about the effectiveness of the data recovery process. Organizations have different reasons for not having a disaster recovery plan
Conclusion
Disasters are unforeseen and can strike at any moment. It is essential to have a disaster recovery plan for your business to avoid massive data loss in case of a crisis. Debunking the myths associated with disaster recovery will see your organization scale higher in preparedness and planning for the next potential situation. A perfect plan will ensure your business runs smoothly and increase customer retention and loyalty. Guru solutions are efficient in disaster recovery services.
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