Disaster Recovery: 5 Steps to Minimize Downtime

Every business faces potential disasters—from hardware failures and cyberattacks to natural disasters and human error. A solid disaster recovery plan is essential for minimizing downtime and protecting your business.

Step 1: Identify Critical Systems

Not all systems are equally important. Start by identifying which systems are critical to business operations.

Questions to Ask:

Which systems must be operational for us to serve customers?

What data cannot be lost?

Which applications are essential for daily operations?

What are our maximum tolerable downtime periods for each system?

Document these priorities. They'll guide your entire recovery strategy.

Step 2: Implement Comprehensive Backups

Backups are your safety net. Follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of data, on two different media types, with one copy off-site.

Key Considerations:

**Frequency:** How often should each system be backed up? Critical systems may need hourly backups.

**Retention:** How long should you keep backups? Consider regulatory requirements.

**Testing:** Regularly test backup restoration to ensure backups actually work.

**Automation:** Manual backups often fail. Automate the process.

Consider cloud-based backup solutions for reliability and ease of restoration.

Step 3: Define Recovery Procedures

When disaster strikes, panic is your enemy. Detailed recovery procedures ensure your team knows exactly what to do.

Document:

Step-by-step recovery processes for each critical system

Contact information for key personnel and vendors

Where backup media is stored and how to access it

Dependencies between systems

Communication plans for keeping stakeholders informed

Store these procedures in multiple locations, including offline copies.

Step 4: Establish Recovery Time Objectives (RTO)

RTO defines how quickly each system must be restored. Be realistic—recovering everything instantly is expensive.

Typical RTOs:

**Critical systems:** 1-4 hours

**Important systems:** 4-24 hours

**Standard systems:** 24-72 hours

Balance RTO goals against costs. Faster recovery requires more investment in redundancy and hot-standby systems.

Step 5: Test Your Plan

A disaster recovery plan that hasn't been tested is just documentation. Regular testing reveals gaps and ensures procedures work.

Testing Approaches:

**Tabletop exercises:** Walk through scenarios with your team

**Partial recovery tests:** Restore non-critical systems to verify procedures

**Full simulation:** Schedule a complete disaster recovery test during off-hours

Test at least annually, and update your plan based on lessons learned.

Additional Considerations

Cybersecurity Integration

Your disaster recovery plan should address ransomware and other cyber incidents. This includes isolated backup copies that attackers can't reach.

Communication Plans

Define how you'll communicate with employees, customers, and vendors during an incident. Prepare templates for common scenarios.

Vendor Relationships

Maintain relationships with hardware vendors, cloud providers, and contractors who can assist during recovery.

Insurance

Cyber insurance can offset costs of major incidents. Review your coverage and ensure it aligns with your recovery plan.

Common Mistakes

Assuming backups work without testing them

No clear ownership of the recovery plan

Outdated contact information

Focusing only on technology, ignoring business processes

Storing all backups in a single location

Get Professional Help

Creating a comprehensive disaster recovery plan requires expertise. A managed IT provider can:

Assess your current backup and recovery capabilities

Design a plan tailored to your business

Implement backup solutions

Conduct regular testing

Update the plan as your business evolves

Conclusion

Disasters are inevitable, but catastrophic downtime is optional. Investing in disaster recovery planning now protects your business, your reputation, and your peace of mind.

iSeries Integrated Solutions specializes in backup and disaster recovery solutions for businesses of all sizes. We can help you build, implement, and test a recovery plan that fits your needs and budget.