Disaster Recovery Is But One Part of a Successful Business Continuity Plan

In today’s age of ransomware, climate change, and worldwide pandemics, a lot can happen that could spell trouble for your organization. This is why it is so critical for your company to have a business continuity plan. There are many factors that contribute to a successful business continuity plan, one of which is a disaster recovery plan. But wait, aren’t those the same thing? Not quite.

Let’s dive into what the difference is between a disaster recovery plan and a business continuity plan, then go over what types of circumstances you should prepare for moving forward.

What is Business Continuity?

When your business experiences something that disrupts operations so profoundly that its very existence is threatened, you need to have a business continuity strategy put into place. This plan addresses how your organization responds to the situation; it is comprehensive in nature, featuring plans and procedures that your employees can follow.

Some of the many aspects of business continuity include:

• A line of authority for people to follow should anything happen to the boss
• Accommodations for a temporary office or a transition to remote/hybrid work as needed
• Data backup and disaster recovery
• A way to notify your vendors and clients of the ongoing disaster

How Does Disaster Recovery Figure In?

Business continuity is the organization’s strategy for recovering from a disaster scenario on the macro level, whereas disaster recovery focuses specifically on the data backup and recovery aspect of the process. This process involves taking snapshots of your company’s data infrastructure that can be deployed at a later time when they are needed most. Data backups are typically taken and stored in the cloud where they can be accessed and deployed when needed.

Data backups are stored off-site in the cloud or in a secure data center specifically so that they are both accessible and safe in the event your on-site infrastructure is destroyed. Some examples of disasters include floods, fires, electrical storms, winter storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, user error, and even security breaches. Basically, any scenario in which your operations are impeded and possibly even threatened can be considered a disaster scenario, and you should be prepared for all of them.

Don’t let these unpredictable circumstances destroy your business’ odds of succeeding. Computerware can equip your business with all of the tools necessary to facilitate business continuity, including disaster recovery. To learn more about business continuity, disaster recovery, and everything that it entails, reach out to us at (703) 821-8200.