Disaster Recovery is Essential for Every Business

Disaster recovery is a critical part of maintaining the viability of your business. A report issued in January 2020 evaluated the impact of global natural disaster events in 2019.  It reveals that the 409 natural catastrophe events of 2019 resulted in economic losses of $232 billion. Of that total, insurance only covered $71 billion. This means the protection gap, which is the portion of economic losses not covered by insurance, was 69 percent in 2019. Today - these risks pose even higher dollars.

While each region of the United States faces a unique combination of weather and climate events, every state in the country has been impacted by at least one billion-dollar disaster since 1980.  Whether fire, hurricane, or tornado, a natural disaster can affect anyone’s business.  Since 1980, there have been more than 100 of these events that have affected at least some part of Texas alone.  The total direct costs of weather and climate events can include, among other things:

• Physical damage to commercial buildings

• Material assets within a building

• Time element losses like business interruption

• Public infrastructure like roads, bridges, and buildings

• Disaster restoration and wildfire suppression costs

Develop a Business Continuity Plan

When business is disrupted, lost revenues plus extra expenses will mean reduced profits. Insurance does not cover all costs and cannot replace customers that go elsewhere. A business continuity plan to continue business when faced with a large-scale disaster is indispensable. The development of a business continuity plan includes four steps:

• Conduct a business impact analysis to identify time-sensitive or critical business functions and processes and the resources that support them.

• Identify, document, and implement what is required to recover critical business functions and processes.

• Have a dedicated business continuity team and compile a business continuity plan to manage a business disruption.

• Use the business continuity team for testing and exercises to evaluate recovery strategies and the plan.

Business Continuity Impact Analysis

Business continuity impact analysis identifies the effects resulting from disruption of business functions and processes. It also uses information from stakeholders to make decisions about recovery priorities and strategies. CoffeeTree Group can identify gaps or inconsistencies. Further, our Trusted Advisors would hold meetings with individual managers to clarify information and obtain missing information. When the business impact analysis is properly completed, the operational and financial impacts resulting from the loss of individual business functions will be better understood. Those functions or processes with the highest potential operational and financial impacts become priorities for restoration. The point in time when a function or process must be recovered before unacceptable consequences could occur, is often referred to as the “Recovery Time Objective.”

Recovery Strategies

Recovery strategies are alternate means to restore business operations to a minimum acceptable level following a business disruption and are prioritized by the Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) developed during the business impact analysis. Recovery strategies require resources including people, facilities, equipment and IT. An analysis of the resources required to execute recovery strategies should be conducted to identify gaps. CoffeeTree Group’s Trusted Advisors can help your business explore possible alternatives and create a strategy best suited to your business.

Strategies may involve contracting with third parties or entering into partnership or reciprocal agreements. CoffeeTree Group can assist in negotiating the agreements needed for a successful business recovery plan. Data streams, data security services and applications can be hosted (co-location or in the cloud) and managed by CoffeeTree Group. If an outage is detected at your business, we can automatically hold your data until your system is restored. This information can then be accessed at the primary business site or any alternate site using a web browser. If appropriate, data centers with commonly used hardware and software products could be set up.

The availability and cost of these options can be affected when a regional disaster results in competition for these resources.  Having a plan and existing agreements already in place provides an advantage in those instances. CoffeeTree Group and our strategic partners can support a variety of business continuity and IT recovery strategies.

 IT Disaster Recovery Plan

Recovery strategies should be developed for IT systems, applications and data. This begins by compiling an inventory. This inventory should include networks, servers, desktops, laptops, wireless devices, data and connectivity. IT resources required to support time-sensitive business functions and processes should also be identified.

After completing the business impact analysis, CoffeeTree Group Trusted Advisors can help determine priorities for IT recovery. They should be consistent with the priorities for recovery of business functions and processes. The recovery time for an IT resource should match the RTO for the business function or process that depends on the IT resource.

The ability to run both office productivity and enterprise software is imperative. CoffeeTree Group will help your business develop recovery strategies for IT so necessary technology can be restored in time to meet the needs of the business. We can:

• Prioritize hardware and software restoration.

• Identify critical software applications and data and the hardware required to run them. Using standardized hardware will help to replicate and reimage new hardware.

• Ensure that copies of program software are available to enable re-installation on replacement equipment.

• Include a strategy to ensure that all critical information is backed up.

• Manual workarounds should be part of the IT plan so business can continue while computer systems are being restored.

Data Backup

Data backup and recovery should be an integral part of the business continuity plan and IT disaster recovery plan. Businesses large and small create and manage large volumes of electronic information or data. Much of that data is important. Some data is vital to the survival and continued operation of the business.

Developing a data backup strategy begins with identifying data on network servers, desktop computers, laptop computers and wireless devices that need to be backed up along with other hard copy records and information. CoffeeTree Group Trusted Advisors can create a plan that includes regularly scheduled backups from wireless devices, laptop computers and desktop computers to a network server. Data on the server can then be backed up. Backing up hard copy vital records can be accomplished by scanning paper records into digital formats and allowing them to be backed up along with other digital data.

Call and speak with an experienced advisor at CoffeeTree Group now. We can explain the many ways we can help your business quickly recover from any disaster.

CoffeeTree Group (CTG) has critical program experience in developing, tuning and implementing DR strategies and solutions for clients.  Leverage our key knowledge – we can help you get there.  Let us help you drive innovation, lower risks and get results. 

Need assistance?  Let’s discuss your challenges:  Call today at 248-526-3315 or email us value@coffeetreegroup.com for an immediate consultation.