Choosing an IT Disaster Recovery Solution
Today data is the lifeblood of any organization. The right IT disaster recovery solution can play a huge role in protecting your data when disaster occurs, but as the data center grows more complex your team may not have the skills to ensure good business continuity. Tapping the expertise of a disaster recovery solution provider is a great way to make sure you are ready. Here are some things to consider when exploring your options:
Infrastructure and Replication
It is the IT infrastructure that does the heavy lifting of replicating data and going from back up to production when a disaster occurs. Learn how the disaster recovery solution provider maintains its infrastructure and how does that compare to your own processes and requirements.
Replication is also an essential function of a disaster recovery solution and just like with infrastructure, both parties need to be clear on their part in the process.
Disaster Response
Whether your IT disaster recovery solution is all in-house or provided by a solutions provider, response times, processes and the role of each team member needs to be outlined very clearly. When you are using a disaster recovery solution from a provider, ask about the response that is included in the package for each individual element, understand the processes and protocols they have in place to respond and what actions their team takes when an event occurs.
Costs
With any solution it is important to understand the costs. When exploring IT disaster recovery solutions know how costs are calculated, what controls are available to manage and when an disaster event occurs how do costs change.
Communication
If a disaster occurs communication will be key between your team and the IT solution providers team. Explore how communication process. What check-points will be in place, who gets notified and in an event what does the notification and contact tree look like.
In closing, an IT disaster recovery solution is a great investment to protect your data and your business.
