Remote work models change IT priorities. Leaders must secure home environments, ensure content access for mobile staff, and maintain team connectivity. Business continuity remains the primary focus. Cyber threats target distributed workforces. A mix of corporate and personal devices increases risks of data theft, loss, or corruption. Leaders must update disaster recovery plans to address these emerging threats.
Joe Kaeser, CEO of Siemens, stated in 2018 at a Stockholm technology forum:
“Data is the oil, some say the gold, of the 21st century – the raw material that our economies, societies and democracies are increasingly being built on.”
Methods to Mitigate Data Risk
Cybercrime and data breaches are increasing. Estimates project these crimes will cost $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face higher risk. Many SMBs assume they are too small to target. They often lack the technology and processes to protect their networks.
Data exists in many forms. All data carries risk. Two primary threats exist. First, deliberate compromise. Malware, ransomware, employee errors, and criminal actors seek to monetize data to our detriment.
Second, inherent risk. Data is vulnerable by its existence. A dedicated employee may accidentally leak customer data via email. Backups may fail to restore. Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, may damage data centers.
IT leaders must assess data risk. They must understand the consequences if that risk materializes.
Our DR experts have over 20 years of experience. They understand the intersection of disaster recovery, infrastructure, and cybersecurity. The SquareShift team executes the following actions:
- What happens when the sales team loses access to client data?
- How do teams provide services without core applications?
- How long can employees operate without critical information and systems?
Why is Disaster Recovery Planning necessary?
A Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a core component of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP). It addresses IT infrastructure dependencies. The goal is to mitigate data loss and restore system function. This allows the organization to continue operations at a minimal level after an incident.
Identify, prioritize, and prepare for high-impact risks. Define critical events and their likelihood. This action reduces organizational risk.
Definition of Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS)
DRaaS uses cloud-native or third-party services to back up vital data and applications. It provides system failover to secondary infrastructure during natural or digital disasters. Hardware failure, power outages, fiber issues, severe weather, and cyber-attacks can disrupt operations and customer service.
DRaaS targets a short Recovery Point Objective (RPO). Data restoration aligns closely with the current state. Typical Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) are under four hours. Systems restart in a geographically separate location.
A high-performing disaster recovery solution is a core component of modern IT strategy. DRaaS reduces operational uncertainty for the organization, employees, and customers.
Benefits of DRaaS
DRaaS provides organizational resilience. It mirrors critical infrastructure and data to a high-availability cloud service. This capability enables business recovery within minutes of an outage.
Disaster recovery is an ongoing process, not a one-time task.
DR testing is a core component of MSP services. Testing business continuity and disaster recovery plans increases client capacity. This readiness applies to natural disasters, human-made incidents, and network failures.
Squareshift tests client systems for faults, vulnerabilities, and backup integrity. Testing is a standard phase in the technology lifecycle for software and processes. It is equally essential for disaster recovery. Although incidents are infrequent, organizations must verify that DR plans function when a disaster occurs.
We use the term “Plan” to emphasize continuous improvement. Disaster recovery operates as a feedback loop. Testing and current data feed into the Plan. This process improves recovery options. Without testing and feedback, the Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) provides no value.
SquareShift DRaaS Solution
- Determines RTOs and RPOs
- Establishes comprehensive backup and contingency plans
- Implements real-time testing
- Develops disaster recovery plans
Clients gain confidence that the organization is ready when disaster strikes.