Website Security: What is Your Ultimate CRASH plan?

Running a successful business requires quite a bit of planning. This is particularly important when dealing with data protection and recovery. While current technology can greatly optimize everyday operations, the possibility of disaster looms from every direction.

Whether due to an insidious virus, natural disaster, or even something as simple as a power outage, loss of data can have extremely dire consequences for every type of business. That’s why maintaining a comprehensive recovery plan is essential. A reliable recovery plan can help a business be prepared for disaster in all its forms. Not only will this save valuable time and money, it may also save your business.

Have a Plan in Place Before Disaster Strikes

In most cases, data disasters result in more than just inconvenience. Some reports show that a whopping 60% of businesses that lose pertinent data will be forced to cease operations within six months of the occurrence. This is especially true for small businesses, which may not have the necessary resources to rebuild once after a data disaster.
Petrus Human, technical director of data recovery firm Attix5, recently spoke about the perils of failing to initiate a reliable recovery plan. “The danger of apathy amongst businesses in developing and implementing a disaster recovery strategy is a serious worry for the industry,” Human was quoted as saying ahead of this year’s IP Expo. “Most businesses have some sort of backup plan in place, but what happens when disaster actually strikes?”
Tailor Disaster Recovery to Your Business’s Needs
Not all businesses are the same, and a disaster recovery plan must reflect these differences. Depending on things like budget, as well as the size of the business in question, one recovery option may prove to be more suitable than another. That’s why it’s highly recommended to tailor any recovery plans to the needs of your business.

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For instance, each company must consider which storage option would work best for its specific needs. While onsite storage may be preferable in some cases, cloud storage is becoming an increasingly popular option for many businesses. There are a number of important distinctions between the two options, including overall cost, limits on data transference, level of security, etc.  Emergency plans are rarely one size fits all, entailing that all business owners give thorough consideration to what will work best for them.
Ensure Resource Redundancies for All Data and Equipment
Redundancy is a central term in the world of recovery. Whether referring to equipment or data, redundancy entails retaining duplicate items to serve as replacements in case an emergency occurs. In the event of large scale data catastrophes, redundancies can be vital for getting a business back on track at a faster rate. This swift resurgence can be an essential part of ongoing success in the business world.
Equipment redundancy is of a particular concern if physical damage should occur to a computer room or data center. All important elements, from computer components to cooling equipment, should have a backup in case of failure. While this may seem like an unnecessary consideration, replacement equipment can make a huge impact on the future of a company by enabling the resumption of important processes in a timely manner.

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Utilize Scheduled Data Backup
Another important aspect of data recovery involves establishing scheduled data backup. Due to the often fast-paced nature of many businesses, manual backup may fall by the wayside in favor of more pressing tasks. Unfortunately, these slipups tend to go unnoticed until it’s too late.
Scheduled backups can help remedy this problem by ensuring the most significant items are saved on a regular basis. This process lessens the impact of human error, while also ensuring backups occur with some frequency. Many cloud storage platforms allow scheduled backup processes, which can be customized based on the exact needs of a business. This will serve as a welcome relief should data disaster occur.
Designate Important Data a Higher Priority
Jennifer Walzer, staff writer at Small Business Trends, states that companies should always follow the 10% rule when it comes to data recovery. This stipulates that only 10% of a company’s total data can be considered critical. What constitutes critical data? According to Walzer, “Only changing data should be considered critical. If a file does not change within a certain amount of time, it should be moved into a retention vault.”
Of course, this doesn’t mean that the remainder of a company’s data can be lost without incident. Abiding by the 10% rule simply helps a company prioritize data so that the most crucial items are saved no matter what occurs. Not only will this help a company get up and running after a disaster strikes, it can also save time on non-critical data recovery, which may come at the expense of data that is far more valuable.

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Regularly Review/Update Disaster Plan (and Equipment)
A recovery plan must be updated in order to remain effective. In this respect, thorough reviews should be undertaken on a regular basis. This includes both software processes, as well as equipment needed in the event of an emergency.
In some cases, emergency equipment can be tested using conditions similar to those that would occur during an actual power failure. Such testing is especially important for companies utilizing uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). A UPS provides instantaneous emergency power in the event of an outage, which can be fundamental to ensuring equipment is powered down correctly. However, even the most trustworthy UPS can unexpectedly fail, which is why routine testing is so important.
A recovery plan may also need to be tweaked if circumstances should change. In cases where a business has expanded a great deal, more robust recovery solutions may be required. Re-visiting already established plans can help IT managers stay on task when it comes to recovery, as opposed to dealing with problems as they happen.

The Marketing Plans for Your Business

Preparation is key in all facets of the corporate world, from implementing disaster recovery plans to honing marketing strategies capable of taking your business to the next level. Fortunately, Hanei Marketing can help a variety of businesses develop workable marketing solutions to ensure that success is within reach. For more information on what we can do for your business, please contact us today.
Top image “Liberty Leading the People” by Eugène Delacroix