Simply put, a disaster recovery plan is a plan that is put together to help businesses recover IT functionality and resolve any data loss in the event of a natural or human-induced disaster. This plan will involve a set of policies, tools and procedures that cover all eventualities and the unknown. Ultimately, it is just as necessary as a marketing plan when starting a business in this digital age, even if you don’t think it is.
For many new businesses, creating a disaster recovery plan is at the bottom of their to-do list. Whilst you will undeniably have many other important things to focus on when starting your organisation, it goes without saying that having an effective disaster recovery plan isn’t just beneficial, for many it is actually essential. If you’re wondering why this is so important, keep reading today. Below is a list of reasons why all businesses should have a disaster recovery plan.
You risk losing everything
It is fair to say that without a disaster recovery plan, you risk losing absolutely everything. For many, IT services such as regular backups are overlooked until a disaster recovery plan is created. It simply isn’t worth the gamble when it comes to disaster recovery and potentially losing everything really is a good enough reason to create an effective plan.
Downtime is incredibly costly
In the event of a disaster, downtime is inevitable, but how prepared you are will directly impact how lengthy and costly this downtime is to your business. The cost is more than just monetary too and it can have detrimental effects on all aspects of your business. Simply having a disaster recovery plan can help you to reduce the downtime experience no matter what the disaster may be and, in turn, reduce the impact of this downtime too.
Disasters can affect your reputation
It is highly likely that if a disaster isn’t handled correctly, it will affect your business’ reputation and when damned, this can take years to rebuild. Many IT services are essential to keeping your customers happy, but many will agree that disaster recovery is one of the most important. No matter what has happened, your customers still expect certain things and your disaster recovery plan can help to ensure that they aren’t disappointed.
Threats come in all shapes and sizes
Many put off creating a disaster recovery plan because they think that they won’t ever need it. However, these days, threats come in all shapes and sizes, and they are sometimes completely out of your hands. Whilst some disasters can be caused by human error, others are down to system failure, natural disasters or even cybercriminals. Whilst you may have IT services providing preventative measures, they aren’t enough when disaster strikes and having a plan in place is essential to get things up and running again.
Your business is only as strong as your weakest link
This age-old saying is undeniably true and it is incredibly relevant when questioning whether you actually need a disaster recovery plan. Your business will never be immune to disaster and, for this reason, it will only ever be as strong as your disaster recovery plan. So, take into account potential weaknesses when creating this plan and consider how you ensure that your business remains strong no matter what it faces.
Creating a disaster recovery plan
Ultimately, there really is no denying that all businesses should have a disaster recovery plan and even if you’re not a new business, if it is something that you’re yet to create, it is incredibly important to put some time aside to do so ASAP. Your disaster recovery plan doesn’t need to be onerous or highly technical, just ensure that you have a reasonable understanding of all risks and managed responses to these, so when the unexpected happens, you know what to do.
If you’d like some assistance creating a disaster recovery plan for your business, please reach out to our team here at Key Insite today. Not only can we provide you with a range of helpful IT services in Berkshire, but our experienced team can also assist you with your disaster recovery plan, allowing you to protect your future. You can rely on our data services to help both small and medium-sized businesses in Berkshire and when you turn to our team, you can have complete peace of mind that your business’s IT is in safe hands.
