In recent years, and due to the general economic, social and political situation, more and more large or smaller companies feel the need and are exploring the possibility of implementing a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP). 
The days when the legislative framework was the only reason for creating a DRP are over. Today, in addition to being an essential "risk premium", the implementation of such a solution is a sign of maturity, obligation and respect towards customers, staff and the history of each organization.
A well-designed and properly structured DRP in terms of cost consists of the following three stages:
- Initially, a thorough study and understanding of the business needs and functions that should be supported by a company's DRP. The involvement of executives from all departments is almost mandatory as the DRP is not the sole responsibility of the IT department.
- Secondly, the technical solution should be designed and implemented based on mature and reliable technologies and platforms. The simpler and more understandable the solution, the more reliable it is and the less chance of failures and surprises in difficult times.
- Third and perhaps most importantly, the plan should be tested at regular intervals with the participation of all those involved, and we are not only referring to IT departments but also to operations departments or production units.
At the same time, the impression that DRP solutions are extremely costly is beginning to change. Organizations are now mature and realize that the cost of such a solution is determined solely by their needs.
Finally, the added value that DRP can bring to an organization may ultimately be limited if it is not accompanied by an equally structured and detailed Business Continuity ( BC) plan. After all, let's not forget that the main goal of every organization is to be able to serve its customers as quickly as possible after a disaster and not simply to secure its data.
Business continuity (BC) plans, processes, and technologies combine with an organization’s capabilities to ensure maximum uptime for critical applications. BC and DR are often treated as the same “problem,” but they are not. BC is used to allow a company to continue to perform its normal operations, while DR is the processes followed when BC did not work or was never implemented.
The Cost of Downtime
In today's global online economy, an organization's IT users and customers demand 24/7 access to applications. The time it takes an organization to recover from system downtime or data loss can lead to financial risks or, in some cases, cause a business to close.
Review, Investigate, Survey and Consult (RISC):
Business continuity and DR execution are extremely important processes that every organization must fulfill. Before a company decides to spend valuable resources and money, there are some steps it should follow:
Review:
- the number of downtime events that have occurred in the last 12 months.
- the average downtime per incident over the last 12 months.
- the longest downtime event in the last 12 months.
- the downtime rate of critical applications in the last 12 months.
- the recovery time of the systems during the last downtime event.
- Investigate: Calculate the cost of downtime.
Ask:
Ask end users and/or partners which applications could never be “separated.” This will determine which ones the organization should make readily available in any case and under any circumstances.
Please consult:
It is essential for organizations to engage specialized executives and industry experts for BC and DR. IT system availability is critical for most, if not all, businesses and organizations. Of course, if you believe you cannot afford a business continuity system, it probably means that you cannot afford not to have one. Therefore, seek the advice of a BC/DR specialist and technology companies.
