Three Elements You Must Have In Place Long Before Disaster Strikes

three elements of a Disaster Recovery Program

Preparing for a disaster is not something that can be achieved overnight. Indeed, many elements of a recovery plan require days, weeks, months, even upwards of a year, to be ready for deployment.

That is why having an up to date plan that is ready for execution is integral to the overall success of a recovery initiative; beginning with the longest lead time item:  the recovery site.   No one wants to deal with month long tasks after a disaster is declared.  That can keep an organization stuck in the thick of the recovery stage for a very long time.

In particular, there are three elements of a Disaster Recovery Program that should be accounted for long before a DR plan is ready to use. They include:

New Site of Operation (First, select and prepare the recovery site):

The most time-consuming element of readying an organization for a crisis is arranging a new site for operations – both physically and environmentally.

Physically, acquiring new real estate can take months, even years, and preparing it to accommodate business operations can take just as long. That is why it can be a real lifesaver to have a site ready when disaster strikes.

Think about how many businesses saw their operational centres destroyed or damaged by “Super Storm Sandy.” Now, think about how much time and capital a second, secured site of operation would have saved each affected business. And this isn’t just the case for extreme weather. Waste water pipes bursting in a downtown Toronto data centre can have the same impact on a company if no alternative location is ready for use.

Preparing a secondary site for electronic operations is still time consuming, but very important. If an organization’s URL goes down or a data storage program goes haywire, the downtime suffered can be significantly mitigated if the space is ready to accept sensitive computing equipment; especially if security, heating, air conditioning, humidity and power supply can be established for the recovery equipment.

Communications (Then make sure it is connected to the intended network):

Developing the infrastructure for communications is something that may potentially progress quickly, but that isn’t always a given. Under ideal circumstances installation of all necessary services can be kept to a week or two, but under other, normal circumstances, it can take months.

Time spent contracting the right telecommunications providers, specifying capacities and verifying performance expectations can all add up. And so can time spent arranging provider availability for installation. Maybe all it will take is some cable-pulling in the building, but fully outfitting a new site might mean having to do street work, or dig up roads, which can take over a month.

The Gear, the Commissioning (Then fill it with the necessary equipment and software):

Acquiring new hardware and the licensing for it, can take weeks. Even preparation for transporting existing hardware to a new site can be a lengthy process if left to the last minute.

Software and applications may have to be loaded, pre-loaded and tested.  Training staff on new replication or recovery tools can also take weeks. Everyone needs to know their role in the recovery and on-going support processes, and understand how to perform it.  If the recovery monitoring and support technology is new, that is not something that can be achieved by sending out a memo.

Having DR capabilities in place may be the factor that determines whether your company sinks or swims in the event of a disaster. By ensuring these 3 elements are set up long before a disaster strikes, you can feel at ease knowing you have a solid base for your plan if that time comes.

Steve Tower

With many years of professional IT experience, and training as a Certified Management Consultant, a Project Management Professional, a Professional Engineer and a Member, Business Continuity Institute, Steve Tower has the skills and abilities required to assist with even the most complex disaster recovery planning initiatives. Below, Steve discusses the necessary tools involved in setting up a disaster recovery plan and program.