The New Year brings us an unequivocal opportunity to re-evaluate our current circumstances and make plans for the future. Whether that is strategizing on how to launch a new product or streamlining current processes – now is perfect time to implement changes and begin preparing for tomorrow. So, why not take this opportunity to dust off your disaster recovery plan and make sure it is up to date.
Disaster recovery planning can be an overwhelming task; no one wants to think about “the worst” but recent history shows us that natural and man-made disasters make it a necessary part of doing business in a digital world. Today’s companies are dependent upon their technological infrastructure and any little “blip” could set off a chain of events that could take days, weeks, months or possibly years to recover from.
If you don’t have a disaster recovery plan or haven’t updated yours in a while, now is a good time to start thinking about it. If you have no idea where to start, do some good old fashioned web searching. There are many resources, courses and articles available on the World Wide Web to assist you in putting together a disaster recovery plan for your business.
Besides protecting your data and client files, you should also take into account your phone system. Many companies have countless hours of important voice files and data on their phone systems. Disasters are not always, fire, flood or famine – disasters are anything that will interrupt your normal business operations. Be sure to evaluate your phone system as part of your disaster planning efforts. What would you do if your phone system suddenly shut down?
Alternate Access recommends testing back up power supplies regularly. Power surges or lighting strikes can wreak havoc on electronics, ensuring that power back ups are tested and replaced regularly will ensure communication can still take place. And don’t forget data back ups as well.
Just like consistently backing up data files in case your server crashes, you should be regularly backing up your phone server database and voice files. This can be done by using RAID, mirroring drives or purchasing a back up server. Any choice is a small price to pay for not missing a beat during a telephony server failure. Being able to quickly recover data and be up and running within hours will allow you to get back to “normal” business operations quickly and efficiently.
Proper and routine server maintenance will also ensure that your server is operating at its best. Keeping the temperature of the server at or below 70° F, and maintaining a dust free server area will mitigate some of the major server “kryptonite” – heat and clogged dust filters. Servers should be located in an area that promotes air circulation and cool, dry temperatures.
As a further precaution, contact your telephone service provider to find out if they can provide call routing or forwarding to cell phones or home phones in the event of a total outage. Having calls forwarded to a few people will allow operations to proceed “normally” during an outage.
Since disaster recovery has become such an integral part of maintaining healthy business operations, it seems an entire industry has developed around it. Advancements in technology have made larger storage capacity and “off site” storage possible and economical choices. These secure, hardened facilities use “clean” power and back up generators to ensure there is no data lost. And, they are not only limited to data storage, there facilities that can handle your telephony storage and routing needs should the need arise.
Though it seems like a daunting task, disaster recovery planning will pay off in the long run should you ever need to implement it. Whether you decide to invest in “in house” technology and solutions or to outsource, the most important thing to remember is to always have a plan of action. Remember: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.