Disaster recovery: a misleading name for one of the most important issues in an IT operation. Disaster recovery is not about recovering from a disaster; it's just the opposite. Your company must continually plan and manage the disaster recovery process. This involves up-to-date technology and well-informed IT staff members (in-house or outsourced) to implement several phases of your disaster recovery plan. Your business must be up and running at all times. In the small and medium-sized arena, this is even more crucial, as resources and budgets are usually more scarce, and a disaster -- whether a human error or a technological one -- could easily damage your credibility. This eBook offers tips for developing a disaster recovery plan, looks at available tools for disaster recovery and system backup, and answers questions specific to recovery and backup concerns.
You need only take a quick look at the news on any given day to remind you of why your company needs a disaster recovery plan. Chances are, you won't ever experience a Level Four disaster, such as a terrorist bombing or natural disaster such as a hurricane or flood. But even the smaller-scale Level One, Two, or Three disasters that you'll more likely encounter, such as power outages and server malfunctions, can paralyze business operations unless you've developed a plan for rapidly restoring IT services. You probably already have a disaster recovery plan, but it's wise to review it periodically and update it to accommodate changes in your business.