Solution Provider Logicalis Identifies Common Blunders that
Result in Data Recovery Disasters
Farmington Hills, MI, August 17,
2010 – Downtime due to equipment or software failure,
human error, viruses or natural disasters can all cause an even
bigger data disaster if an IT staff has not properly prepared. In
fact, just preparing for disaster isn’t enough of a
strategy for most organizations. Technologists at Logicalis, an
international provider of integrated information and communications
technology (ICT) solutions and services, say that organizations
must also develop a strategy for recovery. Failure to do
so can extend the length of the original downtime well past the
disaster that caused it. Logicalis technologists have categorized
these failures as the Deadly Sins of Disaster Recovery
Planning.
- Organizations interested in avoiding Disaster
Recovery (DR) mistakes can learn more about how Logicalis develops
Business Continuity / Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) plans at: http://www.us.logicalis.com/bcdr.
“Business Continuity is like lighting a
building in the evening. You want to first make sure that the
lights will work before it actually gets dark,” says Ed Oakes, a
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery expert at Logicalis.
“Standing around in the dark with a flashlight is not the time to
figure out where your wiring went wrong.”
To improve your ability to recovery data and
get your organization back on track in operational following a
disaster, Logicalis experts say to avoid these common mistakes.
Deadly Sins of Disaster Recovery
Planning
1. No
Plan. Some organizations lack a formal data Disaster
Recovery Plan (DRP), or they have failed to address every potential
type of issue that could cause downtime. This can lead to many
hours of confusion and finger-pointing during a recovery
period.
2. No Documentation.
Close on the heels of “No Plan” is a plan that exists only as an
idea or has not been documented or has been misplaced.
“Developing a written plan that is printed out and kept in multiple
binders available at a moment’s notice is essential to achieving a
satisfactory recovery,” says Oakes.
3. No Training. Even
when organizations have a written data DR plan available, they may
not have trained the entire IT staff in what to do should a
disaster occur. “You want to make sure you identify the minimum
number of people that would be required to implement any Disaster
Recovery Plan and make sure that everyone is trained in how to
execute the plan,” says Oakes.
4. No Communication.
Disasters don’t always occur when your IT staff is on-site or in
the building. Failure to adequately communicate with the staff and
ensure that the minimum necessary team can respond can prolong the
recovery period. “Simple call trees, where IT staffers contact each
other, can often cut hours from a recovery,” says Oakes.
5.
No Commitment. It’s not enough to have a plan and
train the team; you must commit to running periodic disaster
recovery exercises as well. “This is often the toughest challenge,”
says Oakes. “Disaster Recovery Planning and testing doesn’t
generate revenue, so it’s not viewed as an asset, but should be
viewed as an insurance plan. Testing can help you discover ‘What
did we miss?’ and ‘What will it cost?’ if it’s not
covered.”
“You don’t need to wait until a disaster
occurs before you begin talking about a plan,” advises Oakes. “Get
your team together right now and make sure that you’ve got all your
bases covered.”
About Logicalis
Logicalis is an international
provider of integrated information and communications technology
(ICT) solutions and services founded on a superior breadth of
knowledge and expertise in communications and collaboration; data
center optimization; application development and integration; and
outsourcing and managed services.
With its international headquarters in the UK, Logicalis Group
employs over 1,900 people worldwide, including highly trained
service specialists who design, specify, deploy and manage complex
ICT infrastructures to meet the needs of over 6,500 corporate and
public sector customers. To achieve this, Logicalis maintains
strong partnerships with technology leaders such as Cisco, HP, IBM
and Microsoft.
The Logicalis Group has annualized revenues in
excess of $1 billion, from operations in the UK, US, Germany, Latin
America and Asia Pacific, and is fast establishing itself as one of
the leading IT and Communications service providers, specializing
in the areas of advanced technologies and services.
The Logicalis Group is a division of Datatec
Limited, a $4.2 billion revenue business listed on the Johannesburg
and London AIM Stock Exchanges (LSE/JSE: DTC).
For more information about Logicalis, visit http://www.us.logicalis.com/.