Planning for Common Threats
Disaster recovery plans typically focus on big threats like floods, fires and pandemics. Keep in mind, however, there are smaller, more common threats that also present challenges. Be sure to address issues like these in your planning:
Damage from Sprinkler Systems
Take a close look at your building’s sprinkler systems, particularly if you’re in a multi-story building. Even if you have a waterless fire suppression system in your server room, are there sprinkler heads in the floors directly above it? Would your IT infrastructure be threatened in the event of a faulty sprinkler head or burst pipe? Another consideration is whether your building’s sprinkler system is wet or dry. In a dry system, the water is not stored and the pipes are only filled when the system is deployed. In a wet system, the water is always there and holds the potential for damage.
Outages
Outages can occur as the result of a variety of everyday events. Your business could be left without Internet and phone services because a property owner cut a fiber bundle while digging, a truck hit a utility pole or a storm caused damage. To prepare for this contingency, you may have backup generators. If so, make sure you keep them maintained and stock up on enough fuel to make it through an extended power outage.
Data Theft and Sabotage
Disgruntled employees can cause major problems if they express their frustration through the theft or sabotage of company data. They know exactly what is most valuable to your company, and how to access this data and equipment. To reduce your exposure, develop a plan for keeping your backup tapes stored safely at an offsite location and have a policy for changing passwords to prevent data access by former employees.
Backup Tape Failures
If you use a tape backup routine, be sure to rotate tapes since they can go bad over time. It’s also a good idea to do routine restore tests of backup tapes to ensure corruption isn’t taking place. Finallly, encrypt your tapes to prevent the information from being used by others and never store them at your place of business.