Disaster recovery planning is often underestimated by many businesses, perceived as unnecessary due to the seemingly low probability of a catastrophic event. However, the good old Kiwi “She’ll be right, mate” mentality overlooks the critical benefits and protective measures that a robust disaster recovery solution and accompanying plan provides.
Depending on the size of the business, the cost per hour of downtime is anywhere from$9,000-$700,000. On average, a business will lose around $164,000 per hour of downtime.
What is Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR)?
Business Continuity refers to the processes a business implements to ensure key operations can continue during and after a disaster. It involves identifying potential risks to the business, developing plans to mitigate those risks, and implementing strategies to maintain operations or quickly recover them in the event of a disruption.
Disaster Recovery more narrowly focuses on restoring IT systems and data after disruptive events. It includes recovery processes, and failover mechanisms to minimise down time and resume normal business functions as quickly as possible. It’s critical that DR tools and plans are regularly tested.
Why is a good BCDR solution important?
In today's business landscape, businesses face various risks that can disrupt operations, ranging from natural disasters to cyberattacks and human errors. A holistic approach to BCDR will help to navigate the various challenges that a business is likely to encounter during the event of a disaster, such as:
· Business interruption
· Loss of revenue
· Reputational damage
· Meeting customer expectations
· Fulfilling contractual obligations
· Managing a highly stressful and challenging situation
Gain practical insights from Hansa Chipper's disaster recovery experience and the complexities of real-life recovery efforts.
Read more about Hansa’s BCDR experience
How can I test my Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery readiness?
Ensuring the effectiveness of your business's BCDR plan is crucial for navigating potential disasters. To help assess your readiness, consider the following questions:
· What disaster recovery tools and processes do we currently have in place?
· What is the scope of our disaster recovery plan?
· Who is involved in each aspect of the recovery process?
· Who communicates the disaster to key stakeholders, i.e. staff, clients and suppliers?
· When was the last time we tested our disaster recovery process?
Regular testing of disaster recovery and business continuity plans builds confidence and prepares your business to respond effectively. Promoting continuous improvement, keeping your business resilient and adaptable to change.
We would love to assist you in this process, helping you build your plan and execute testing. Get in touch with our team of experts today at hello@itpartners.co.nz or phone 07 9572650.
