Catastrophies
have been a part of human endeavor as much as the need to accumulate knowledge
that drives the endeavor. In fact, if only natural occurrences are considered,
it can be argued that the phenomena that constitute calamities have been
present for far longer than the humans pervading the planet now. For this
reason, we are expected to take stock of natural phenomenon in all our
undertakings. Even the multitude of disasters we have experienced doesn’t
prepare us with the right contingency plans. Take for instance that recent
Tsunami waves in Indonesia, the volcanic eruption on Iceland and the earthquake
in Haiti. These are rare occurrence and we cannot be blamed entirely for not
being prepared in spite of our advancing technology. Now consider the most
common of natural calamity – floods. The number of lives lost to flood waters
every year is much more than multiple Tsunamis and earthquakes put together.
The
risk of becoming exposed to calamities has been on a decline as our technology
advanced over the years. But the reduction in risk has been responsible only in
lowering the loss of human life. The ‘endeavors’ of human commerce have been
increasing in volume and intensity and we still haven’t been able to figure out
a way to secure our data - the information that constitutes the actual currency
of this commerce. Sample this – 93% of the companies that lose data due to
disaster file for bankruptcy within a year, 60% of the companies losing data
shut down in 6 months, 30% of all businesses that have a major fire go out of
business within a year and 70% fail within a year.
With
automation of all businesses becoming the norm of modern business it would
raise an alarm over the increased vulnerability of data in the absence of
effective contingency plans. Tools like Risk Assessment Forms have given us a
better hold over the various variables involved in constituting trepidation to
the organization. Business continuity even when faced with calamity is a major
characteristic separating the world class organizations from the others.
The
losses associated with a simple system downtime are much varied than the loss
of business. We need to consider heads of ‘cost of productivity’, ‘revenue
loss’, ‘restoring data cost’, ‘liabilities’ as tangible company losses. The
intangible losses inflict as ‘loss of opportunity’, ‘damaged reputation’ and
‘lower employee morale’. The continuation of business operations and a quick
recovery form disaster thus become intertwined and make specific steps for its
achievement an imperative. This is a good time to look at the existing disaster recovery strategies that constitute our preparedness in case of emergencies.
Daily
back-ups made to tape and stored to an off-site location or back-ups generated
off-site for direct storage are the simplest stratagems to face a disaster. The
extreme cost associated with it is apparent, but due the simplicity in running
and maintaining the operation it still is the most favored procedure. The idea
of SAN (storage area network) is an improvement, adding flexibility to the use
of servers involved. It is a newer idea and has been included only in the
latest data centers.
In the event
of a disaster, will your business have the ability to pick
up the pieces and get back to work, or will things grind to a halt? While it
isn't possible to plan for every event, a solid disaster recovery plan can
make all the difference. A disaster recovery plan is one of those difficult but necessary
aspects of a successful business. With luck, you may never need to rely on your
disaster recovery plan, but if you ever do, you'll be glad
that you planned ahead.
Source : http://www.ctrls.com
