Congratulations! You’ve set up your business’s network with a BDR (Back-up and disaster recovery) system. Now you have a copy of your data off-premises, protecting you from whatever may befall your network, be it viruses, fire, flooding or whatnot.
You’re safe now, right?
Ask yourself: After I get my files back, can I resume business?
Well, your files are safe and that’s important. But here’s the question: What are you going to do with those files once you retrieve them? Are your servers operable allowing you to go right back to work or were they swamped and need replacing? What about the software to process those files? Can you use it or did the ransomware virus lock it up too?
The point is, while you did the right thing by implementing a BDR system, allowing you access to all of your files, ultimately you need those files to conduct business, but if your network is fried or your software is inaccessible, your business is still down — until you get those issues resolved. Replacing servers and getting new software licenses costs money and time, which we know are the same thing. The more downtime you suffer, the more money you lose.
Ask Your Technology Provider About Business Continuity
So how do you solve this? How can you ensure you get your files back and that you can resume business with little downtime? Along with your BDR system, look into what your technology partner offers in the way of business continuity in case tragedy should strike your business.
With a business continuity plan, your technology partner should be able to provide you with access to its servers through virtualization technology. Basically, with such a plan, instead of you having to scramble to get bring your hardware and software back online to resume business, your technology partner could provide you with virtual access to all of your files, software and server space to continue business regardless of location or circumstance, with very little downtime.
Such a continuity plan will have your business back up and running as quickly as possible, minimizing loss due to the disaster and dramatically increasing your chances for survival.
Summary
To sum it up, yes, do definitely invest in BDR, but also ask about business continuity, because for a truly worry-free disaster plan, depending on your business, you may need to have both to make sure you can get back on your feet and running in as short a time as possible.
If you want to learn more about protecting your business, network security and monitoring, BDR or other network services, contact us!