Without a disaster recovery plan, it is estimated that two out of every five companies that experience a disaster will go out of business in five years. The disaster recovery plan helps combat this statistic and as it relates to technology, the steps are the same for any company.
Steps to Building a Technology Disaster Recovery Plan:
  1. Define what constitutes a disaster for your business
  2. Gain an understanding of the systems in place
  3. Evaluate how data is recovered and where systems are backed up
  4. Based on your risk tolerance, establish realistic recovery timeframes, document and test your plan
Are You Prepared for a Disaster?  Time to “Dust-Off” or “Write” Your IT Disaster Recovery Plan

 

 

The Business Challenge

A 600 million dollar manufacturer of aluminum and steel products with 30 locations in the US and Europe, 2400 employees, and eight companies, began utilizing Moore Colson for internal audit outsourcing services. As part of the internal audit for one of the companies, the CFO requested Moore Colson Information Technology (MCIT) perform an IT disaster recovery audit. Because the business being evaluated in the IT disaster recovery audit had experienced rapid growth in a short amount of time and was dependant upon technology, concern existed with the existing IT disaster recovery plan.

The SolutionMCIT began by evaluating the existing disaster recovery plan and taking a risk based assessment approach. Interviews and evaluations revealed immediate flaws with the existing plan, which was developed for informative purposes only and lacked on the execution side. In addition critical elements and areas of exposure were identified.The ResultBecause MCIT addressed both the business and IT needs of the company, they identified realistic, practical solutions for exposure. After a one-week review period, MCIT presented senior management with findings that were based upon the size of the organization and tailored to their industry, location, existing plan, size and exposure risk. Immediate changes were implemented and MCIT continues to serve as a consultative resource.
 
As with anything, planning is key. Does your business need a disaster recovery plan? Absolutely yes. No matter what the size or scope of your business, a plan can be as extensive or as little as you make it. So, don’t let a disaster reveal how critical technology is to your business – develop your disaster recovery plan now.
Moore Colson
1640 Powers Ferry Road
Governor's Ridge
Building 11 • Suite 300
Marietta, Georgia 30067
770-989-0028
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