Are you prepared for an IT emergency?
Are you prepared for an IT emergency? You may need an IT company in North Lake County to help you set up an information technology disaster recovery plan (IT DRP), which should be developed when you set up your systems. An IT emergency could range from cyber attack to a natural disaster that impacts your office or servers. Not only do you need a plan for your physical hardware and devices, but also a potential loss of data. If your head is swimming as you think about all the possible problems, don’t panic. This is why you need a disaster recovery plan before something goes wrong.
Creating this plan is possible either on your own or with the help of an IT company in North Lake County. No matter how you decide to tackle it, this guide will help you make it happen.
1. Create an inventory
Make sure you have a written account of every piece of hardware, software, server, and more, so you can take stock should an emergency occur. Each application and device should have the technical support contract information and contact numbers easily available.
2. Determine your priorities
If your business can operate without much data, then you may want to prioritize a plan for your hardware and devices. But if you need data and network access to operate your business, you need a plan for that. This may influence you to adopt cloud-based solutions for your business or IT company in North Lake County, so you can keep things running from wherever.
Evaluate how much time you’ll be able to handle being offline or off-network. If you know how long you can operate your business without each element of your IT, you can know what to prioritize should disaster strike. Think about dividing your hardware and software into three tiers: Tier 1 includes the applications you need immediately. Tier 2 covers applications you need within eight to 10 hours, even up to 24 hours. And tier 3 applications can wait a few days.
3. Draw up a plan
Once you’ve determined how you’ll get your operation up and running after a disaster, and in what order, make sure it is thoroughly documented and stored in many places. It should be easy to access for anyone who may be called on to help recover from a disaster. Your IT company in North Lake County should have a copy as well, so they know how to help you.
This plan should also include assigned roles for every step – including backup people in case they aren’t available. If everyone knows what they’re responsible for, recovery will be more organized and efficient.
4. Test your plan
Just like a fire drill, you should test your team to make sure everyone knows what to do. If your North Lake County business works with an outside IT company, they should be willing to test this with you. Testing the plan will ensure that each step unfolds as intended.
5. Regularly backup data
Part of your plan and a recommended regular business practice is backing up your data, both physically, and to the cloud if possible. If you have regular backups, it will be much easier to get up and running after a disaster. This is one of the many reasons why a cloud-based system can be helpful because they are often automatically backed up.
If your small business needs help with a recovery plan, contact us today!
