If your business understands the importance of data backup and web security, you most likely have a disaster recovery plan. Recovery plans are designed to help business continuity in the event of a disaster by providing a guide for businesses so they can continue their operations as soon as possible.
Recovery plans should be thorough enough so each member of the company knows what to do in the case of a disaster, but also straightforward enough to avoid confusion about individual tasks. When making a recovery plan, there are several steps a company must take to ensure their plan is thorough enough to provide guidance after a disaster.
But even if a recovery plan is almost perfect, one missing element can prevent a business from resuming its operations. Therefore, in addition to understanding the characteristics of a good recovery plan, businesses should also consider reasons as to why their recovery plan might fail. According to a recent Tech Advisory article, the five following reasons are common causes to a failed recovery plan:
• Inefficient communication – Without communicating the recovery plan to employees, there will not be a cohesive return to business continuity. Businesses should periodically send reminder emails of what their recovery plan is to all members of the company.
• Lack of testing – Only an actual test of the recovery plan will find any flaws. A test should include everything from data backup to employee knowledge of the plan.
• Lack of a complete plan – One missing element of a recovery plan can disrupt business continuity. Your business may have everything set in place, but if you forget to have a communication plan during a disaster, you may not be able to communicate with clients.
• Poor expectations – Some small disasters may not be too disruptive, but don’t count on the Internet being up or mobile devices working in the case of a disaster. If the disaster is serious and your recovery plan is only meant for minor storms, your business continuity will suffer.
• No updates to the plan – Even if your recovery plan is complete, it won’t stay complete for long. Businesses that don’t update new employees or backup new data will have a harder time returning to business operations.
If you’re interested in a disaster recovery plan for your business, please contact us today.