Disaster recovery (DR) is the process, policies and procedures that are related to preparing for recovery or continuation of technology infrastructure which are vital to an organization after a natural or human-induced disaster.
As IT systems have become increasingly critical to the smooth operation of a company, and arguably the economy as a whole, the importance of ensuring the continued operation of those systems, and their rapid recovery, has increased. For example, of companies that had a major loss of business data, 43% never reopen and 29% close within two years. As a result, preparation for continuation or recovery of systems needs to be taken very seriously. This involves a significant investment of time and money with the aim of ensuring minimal losses in the event of a disruptive event.
IT disaster recovery control measures can be classified into the following three types:
- Preventive measures - Controls aimed at preventing an event from occurring.
- Detective measures - Controls aimed at detecting or discovering unwanted events.
- Corrective measures - Controls aimed at correcting or restoring the system after a disaster or an event.
Good disaster recovery plan measures dictate that these three types of controls be documented and tested regularly.
In addition to preparing for the need to recover systems, organizations also implement precautionary measures with the objective of preventing a disaster in the first place. These may include:
- Local mirrors of systems and/or data and use of disk protection technology such as RAID.
- Surge protectors - to minimize the effect of power surges on delicate electronic equipment.
- Use of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and/or backup generator to keep systems going in the event of a power failure.
- Fire prevention/mitigation systems such as alarms and fire extinguishers.
- Anti-virus software and other security measures.
ASB IT understand how important data is for any businesss and includes & thorough check during maintenance & 24/7 monitoring.