Small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) often face significant challenges when it comes to implementing an effective IT disaster recovery plan. With limited resources and expertise, many SMBs may not have the necessary tools or knowledge to develop and maintain a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. However, having a solid disaster recovery plan is crucial for SMBs as it can help them avoid costly downtime, minimize data loss, and ensure business continuity.

In this blog post, we will discuss a few key elements of an effective IT disaster recovery plan for SMBs, including required IT infrastructure, risk assessment, recovery time objective (RTO), and insurance.

Required IT Infrastructure

The first step in developing a disaster recovery plan is to identify the necessary IT infrastructure. This includes hardware, software, and networking equipment that is critical to the operation of your business. For example, servers, data storage devices, and backup power supplies are essential components of a disaster recovery plan. Cloud-based services and virtualization technology can also be used to increase flexibility and reduce costs.

Risk Assessment

Once you have identified the essential IT infrastructure, the next step is to perform a risk assessment. This involves identifying potential threats to your business, such as natural disasters, cyber-attacks, and hardware failures. By assessing these risks, you can develop a plan to mitigate them and ensure that your business can recover quickly in the event of a disaster.

Recovery Time Objective (RTO)

The recovery time objective (RTO) is the maximum amount of time that your business can afford to be without its critical IT infrastructure. For example, if your RTO is 24 hours, you must be able to recover your IT infrastructure within 24 hours of a disaster. The RTO is a crucial element of a disaster recovery plan as it sets a realistic timeframe for recovery and helps to prioritize recovery efforts.

Insurance

Finally, SMBs should consider purchasing insurance to cover the costs associated with a disaster. This includes the cost of repairing or replacing damaged hardware, recovering lost data, and lost revenue due to downtime. Business interruption insurance can also help cover the costs of temporary relocation or operating from a remote location.

Conclusion

Developing an effective IT disaster recovery plan is crucial for SMBs to ensure business continuity in the event of a disaster. By identifying the necessary IT infrastructure, performing a risk assessment, setting a recovery time objective, and purchasing insurance, SMBs can develop a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that will help them recover quickly and minimize downtime. Remember that a disaster recovery plan should be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that it remains effective and relevant.

These are just a few of the keys to developing an effective IT disaster recovery plan.  To find out more, download our "15 Keys To An Effective IT Disaster Recovery Plan" here or feel free to schedule a 15 minute call with us now.

Dewayne Chappell
CEO, Divergys