Disaster Recovery Then and Now
I am aging myself, but over 20 years ago when I was working on a Masters in Telecommunications Management, I did a project on Disaster Recovery Planning. The preferred term today is Business Continuity Planning, but the goal is the same. I recently looked at my PowerPoint presentation from that project. Of course, I was disappointed to see the boring bullet-point slides that I would never use today. Much of the information about DRP was still very relevant and stood the test of time. A few things made me chuckle, especially references to outdated networking technology.
There were several important factors that didn’t change. A good disaster recovery plan cannot be detailed enough (see the bottom of this post for some helpful business continuity resources for your business). The details that may seem tedious and time-consuming while developing and maintaining a plan, will be invaluable when they are needed. Even though the types of technology and connections may have changed the need for redundancy in business-critical areas hasn’t.
My presentation also stated, “Decentralized computer systems have made DRP more difficult because instead of one mainframe, there are hundreds of PCs”. However, now I would have to argue that the further decentralization that cloud technology has brought about actually makes disaster recovery easier. The cloud-based VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems today provide the ability to immediately switch to mobile communications if your internet service goes down.
Because businesses rely more heavily on technology today, there are more areas to consider in a disaster recovery plan. However, the cloud and other technology advances provide many effective options for recovery and redundancy to ensure business continuity when a disaster occurs. Another thing that hasn’t changed at all is that it requires planning. Skyline IT Management can help you with that plan. Contact us today for a free consultation.
These guides will help you ensure your business is prepared:
