At the beginning of October 2015 the Eastern Coast of the US was on high alert watching and waiting to see if Hurricane Joaquin would make landfall as predicted. Fortunately the hurricane veered out to sea. But the experience is a good reminder of why data loss is such a serious threat and why it’s important for SMBs to be prepared.
Most business owners’ first thoughts as the storm strengthened were probably these: How would it impact the business? Will I have to close? What steps should I take to protect my facility? The episode left a keen awareness for most owners about the importance of preparation. The wayward storm has provided a golden opportunity to establish a BC/DR, Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery plan before the next natural disaster hits.
How much downtime can your business afford? Making sure your business can continue operating in case of a disaster is just as essential to SMBs as it is to the largest enterprises. Small businesses lose approximately $8,581 per hour and medium companies $215,638 per hour, according to the Aberdeen Group. Analyzing the impact of a disaster or disruption and its potential effect on the organization is a key component in determining recovery point objective and recovery time objective. Use this helpful Recovery Time & Downtime Cost calculator to evaluate your recovery time and recovery point objectives. Proactively minimizing downtime can make recovery less costly if a natural disaster does strike.
Are you backing up everything you need to recover? 70% of businesses that suffer a serious data loss are out of business in two years, Datto, Inc. Yet nearly 75 percent of SMBs possess no disaster recovery plan, and only 25 percent are “extremely confident” that they can restore data in the case of an event that destroys their data. Traditional backup methods such as tape and disk are insufficient at protecting businesses from the crippling and costly effects of downtime. The solution requires more than just data backup so it’s important to think in terms of business continuity. A true business continuity solution ensures that data can be recovered as quickly as possible in the event of a disaster, and that businesses can even continue normal operations while a disaster is happening.
With a BC/DR plan businesses are assured of automated backup verification, reduced downtime, continuous protection, secured storage, fast recovery, and more. With the importance of computers and technology in day-to-day business, it is critical that every organization has a plan in place to deal with the threat of data loss and continuity of operations. Call to schedule a consultation with Ancero. We can skillfully guide the process and ensure a comprehensive BC/DR plan that will protect your business.
Download your free copy of the Datto Natural Disaster Survival Guide for Businesses