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A system is said to be reliable when it operates symmetrically under all circumstances (normal and abnormal). Nobody can predict the abnormal behaviour. So, we should frame a robust system which can withstand the discrepancies. This discrepancy is termed as “Disaster”, it’s a phenomenon of causing interruption which effects the regular operations. This results in loss of data or network failure and much more. Here comes the necessity for “Disaster Recovery”. It is building a security zone to safeguard the system from ill effects. A disaster can occur in any way, it might be a natural calamity such as cyclone, floods, etc… Or man-made disaster.

A disaster recovery plan should be in such a manner that it should offer continuous network monitoring, complete data backup and many more. It means that it should support in different aspects and provide complete protection.

When we refer “DR” the primary sector that rolls out is “IT” because for organizations it is the building block with a number of computers, desktops, network, etc. Increase in the usage of computers has paved a way for data backup and the best network connectivity.

Measures Implemented in Disaster Recovery?

A single static plan which suits all the types of disasters is not available, so we use different strategies to carry out recovery operations, the basic measures include: Prevention, Detection and Remedial:

• Preventive: This prevents the mishap from occurring and helps in identifying and reducing the uncertainty. This incorporates data backup, usage of protectors to avoid surges.
• Detective: This helps in identifying and sorting out issues in different areas such as network monitoring, conducting training sessions and server installations.
• Remedy: After the occurrence of event, it aims in restoring the system. This include proper documentation and insurance policies.

IT Disaster Recovery Plan

IT is not a single element, it consists of a lot of components like desktops, laptops, servers, hardware, software, wireless devices, networks, and data. Hence, the recovery strategy should be implemented based on the different equipment’s involved, for example: Connectivity (It deals with the different components involved in networking such as cables, routers, Optical fibres etc.

100% Disaster Recovery Plan template can be obtained by fulfilling the below objectives.

The three objectives are Business Continuity Planning (BCP), Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO).

Companies can’t avoid disasters but they can minimize the effect through effective planning. Our main intention is to diminish the data loss and downtime. These two parameters can be studied through Recovery Time Objective and Recovery Point Objective. Let us discuss in detail:

Business Continuity Planning (BCP)

It is the process of designing a plan by identifying the potential threats and danger that an organization encounters and thereby by assuring that IT equipment’s are safe and their functioning remains unaltered even in abnormal conditions.  BCP describes potential risks, the impact of risks on operations, safeguard implementation and the procedures designed to reduce the intensity of risks.

• Downtime

It is the time in which a machine can’t perform regular operations and is unavailable for usage. This occurs when it is subjected to repair, breakdown and maintenance.  This is also called as dead time.

Recovery Time Objective (RTO)

The targeted time for which the business process should be restored after the occurrence of Major Incident (MI). It includes the time taken to fix the issues, communication and also testing. It is started during the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) in collaboration with the Business Continuity Partner. Then they are sent to senior level for approval.

Recovery Point Objective (RPO)

It is the utmost data loss that an organization can bear and how far we should dive into the past to fetch the data. Here “how far” resembles the time which can be in seconds, minutes and hours. For example: If RPO is hours, it means backups should be made once in five hours or less than that interval.

Factors affecting IT infrastructure

Being aware of factors helps in building the strategy and implementing the recovery and in providing the best disaster recovery services.