Continuity Centers

Turn to the pros to master disaster recovery

When it comes down to it, who is really responsible for disaster recovery in the corporate environment? Is the IT department tasked with the technical aspects of the data and application restoration process? Should the executive board map out the action plans that determine the trajectory of continuity during a crisis scenario? What about the employees who need to complete their tasks despite facing obstacles both physical and technological? These are the questions that often get organizations hung up on disaster recovery – and prevent them from crafting an effective strategy.

In fact, a recent CIO Insight article highlighting research from Axcient revealed that the DR conversation can even cause rifts within an organization, as stakeholders often point fingers at one another in the blame games that typically follow a business interruption. IT staff were held responsible for lost data in 69 percent of situations, while executives and end users were blamed 41 and 33 percent of the time, respectively. To avoid in-fighting and other destructive forms of disunity, organizations should leverage expert guidance and technological support in their disaster recovery efforts. 

"Organizations often get hung up on disaster recovery – and prevent them from crafting an effective strategy."

Clarity and confidence
Because disaster recovery is such a nuanced yet vital part of an organization's continuity footprint, the benefits of leveraging a dedicated service are many, especially for organizations struggling to piece together an effective plan in-house. As an article from Redmond Magazine recently pointed out, more companies are recognizing that consultation and hands-on assistance are necessities in developing a dependable, dynamic recovery platform – a movement that has given rise to the rapidly expanding disaster recovery-as-a-service market.

Business leaders that hand over the reigns to expert service providers not only boost the reliability of their restorative functions, but also gain greater visibility and control over key performance metrics such as recovery point and time objectives, as well as in the prioritization of data and app recovery. Features such as SLA dials provide decision-makers with precise command of these elements, down to the granular management of virtual machines and backup environments, according to Enterprise Storage Forum.

Continuous support
Decision-makers can't forget that disaster recovery is only one variable in the business continuity equation, and companies often find themselves with lopsided support if they fail to recognize this truth. Companies need to ensure that staff members have the equipment, connectivity and working environment they need to make the most of the assets recovered in the DR process. Comprehensive continuity partners will account for both the technological and human elements of the strategy, creating a holistic system of support that holds strong in any crisis scenario. 

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