Disaster Recovery
Businesses use information technology to quickly and effectively
process information and employees use electronic mail and Voice
Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephone systems to communicate.
Electronic data interchange (EDI) is used to transmit data
including orders and payments from one company to another. Servers
process information and store large amounts of data. Desktop
computers, laptops and wireless devices are used by employees to
create process, manage and communicate information.
What do you when your information technology stops working?
NSA disaster recovery solutions ensure you won't lose data due
to a disaster, whether natural or man-made and no matter the
scope. You can count on NSA solutions, disaster recovery planning
and testing, and implementation services to ensure your business
stays up and running.
NSA will help your business develop information technology
disaster recovery plan (IT DRP) in conjunction with your business
continuity plan. Priorities and recovery time objectives for
information technology should be developed during the business
impact analysis. Technology recovery strategies should be developed
to restore hardware, applications and data in time to meet the
needs of the business recovery.
Businesses large and small create and manage large volumes of
electronic information or data. Much of that data is important.
Some data is vital to the survival and continued operation of the
business. The impact of data loss or corruption from hardware
failure, human error, hacking or malware could be significant. A
plan for data backup and restoration of electronic information is
essential.
Recovery strategies should be developed for Information
technology (IT) systems, applications and data. This includes
networks, servers, desktops, laptops, wireless devices, data and
connectivity. Priorities for IT recovery should be consistent with
the priorities for recovery of business functions and processes
that were developed during the business impact analysis. IT
resources required to support time-sensitive business functions and
processes should also be identified. The recovery time for an IT
resource should match the recovery time objective for the business
function or process that depends on the IT resource.
Information technology systems require hardware, software, data
and connectivity. Without one component of the "system," the system
may not run. Therefore, recovery strategies should be developed to
anticipate the loss of one or more of the following system
components:
- Computer room environment (secure computer room with climate
control, conditioned and backup power supply, etc.)
- Hardware (networks, servers, desktop and laptop computers,
wireless devices and peripherals)
- Connectivity to a service provider (fiber, cable, wireless,
etc.)
- Software applications (electronic data interchange, electronic
mail, enterprise resource management, office productivity,
etc.)
- Data and restoration
Some business applications cannot tolerate any downtime. They
utilize dual data centers capable of handling all data processing
needs, which run in parallel with data mirrored or synchronized
between the two centers. This is a very expensive solution that
only larger companies can afford. However, there are other
solutions available for small to medium sized businesses with
critical business applications and data to protect.
Internal Recovery Strategies
Many businesses have access to more than one facility. Hardware
at an alternate facility can be configured to run similar hardware
and software applications when needed. Assuming data is backed up
off-site or data is mirrored between the two sites, data can be
restored at the alternate site and processing can continue.
Vendor Supported Recovery Strategies
There are vendors that can provide "hot sites" for IT disaster
recovery. These sites are fully configured data centers with
commonly used hardware and software products. Subscribers may
provide unique equipment or software either at the time of disaster
or store it at the hot site ready for use.
Data streams, data security services and applications can be
hosted and managed by vendors. This information can be accessed at
the primary business site or any alternate site using a web
browser. If an outage is detected at the client site by the vendor,
the vendor automatically holds data until the client's system is
restored. These vendors can also provide data filtering and
detection of malware threats, which enhance cyber security.
Developing an IT Disaster Recovery Plan
Businesses should develop an IT disaster recovery plan. It
begins by compiling an inventory of hardware (e.g. servers,
desktops, laptops and wireless devices), software applications and
data. The plan should include a strategy to ensure that all
critical information is backed up.
Identify critical software applications and data and the
hardware required to run them. Using standardized hardware will
help to replicate and reimage new hardware. Ensure that copies of
program software are available to enable re-installation on
replacement equipment. Prioritize hardware and software
restoration. NSA will also help document the IT disaster recovery
plan as part of your business continuity plan and test the plan
periodically to make sure that it works.
In today's world, it's no longer an option for any organization
to be without a business continuity and disaster recovery plan.
Regardless of size, every company needs a strategy to keep
networks, applications and data safe in an emergency - whether it's
a natural disaster like a hurricane, or a more ordinary event such
as a power failure. NSA will help your business ensure you access
to your mission-critical applications and information, and other
key business applications when you need it most!
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