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It’s officially spring, and with the warmer sunny days also comes the threat of tornadoes, electrical storms, and flooding. Once spring weather events subside, we are into summer and hurricane season.
Natural disasters are growing more frequent and less predictable. There have been five times as many natural disasters over the past five decades and ten times as many over the past century compared to historical averages. IT-disabling storms like hurricanes make up 30 percent of all events. Having a disaster recovery plan in place can give you peace of mind knowing that your business is prepared for the unexpected. Here are five disaster recovery tips to ensure your IT systems and data are protected during weather events.
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Have a disaster recovery plan in place
It’s essential to have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in place that outlines how your IT systems and data will be protected in the event of a weather-related disaster. This plan should include details on backup and recovery procedures, alternative data centers or cloud-based solutions, and communication protocols. -
Regularly back up data and cloud storage
Regular data backups can help protect against data loss during a weather event. IT managers should ensure that data is backed up regularly and that backups are stored in a secure location unlikely to be affected by the weather.
Protection from natural disasters is one reason many choose to store data in the cloud. Cloud storage can help protect data from natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and fires. With cloud storage, data is stored in remote data centers, which are designed to be highly secure and resilient. This approach ensures that critical data is protected, accessible, and available in the event of a disaster. -
Ensure redundancy
Redundancy is critical to ensure the continuity of IT operations during a weather event. IT managers should consider redundant data centers, backup power sources, and other redundancies to minimize the impact of weather on their IT infrastructure. -
Test the disaster recovery plan
Regular testing of a disaster recovery plan can help identify weaknesses and ensure that the plan is effective. Managers should regularly test their plan to ensure it can be executed successfully during a weather event. -
Monitor weather alerts and act accordingly
IT managers should closely monitor weather alerts and take proactive measures to protect their IT infrastructure and data if necessary. This may include shutting down systems or moving them to a secure location.
Partner with DartPoints to Establish Your Disaster Recovery Plan
Natural disasters, along with security incidents, human error, and hardware failures, can all wreak havoc on organizations. For this very reason, many companies choose to outsource their disaster recovery as a means of mitigating the risk of keeping this service in-house.
If you are looking for a Disaster Recovery partner, download our comparison checklist here to ensure your provider has the essential qualifications.
Whether you choose an outside partner or manage your DR in-house, following the steps above will help protect your systems and data during weather events and ensure that your organization can continue to operate despite the challenges posed by severe weather conditions.