The 7 Levels of Disaster Recovery

Having a disaster recovery plan is imperative in protecting a company’s assets. When creating a disaster recovery plan, it is important to know the level of protection you will be able to attain based on your resources. Below, we examine the seven levels of disaster recovery.

No Disaster Recovery Plan in Place

It’s hard to believe, but some businesses don’t have any sort of disaster recovery plan in place. These businesses would be completely unprotected in the event of a disaster. As a result of their lack of a plan, it is more than likely that these businesses would not recover. This is not a method that provides any protection, as human error, a server crash, a power surge, or a natural disaster would be enough to take a company down.

No Disaster Recovery Plan, But Good Backup Procedures

This is the least a company should do as a preemptive measure against disaster. Backing up the data and storing it offsite is a simple way to add a layer of protection to a business’ assets. With this strategy in place, you will be able to retrieve your data even if your software and hardware are destroyed. Though this provides protection, the backups must be tested regularly to confirm that they are working correctly.

A Disaster Recovery Plan, With No Other Resources in Place

At this level, a business would begin planning concretely what they would do when disaster struck. Steps they would take include making arrangements with another company to share space and resources if either fall victim to disaster. Additionally, a business would make agreements with vendors to send new systems if need be. While planning like this is a step in the right direction, recovery time would be so slow that the company would have to be prepared for at least a few days of downtime.

A Cold Site Disaster Recovery Solution

A cold site refers to a specific area on a data center where new equipment can be set up by a company if a disaster occurs. This approach allows a company to get through a disaster, and it is also cheaper than other methods. Using a third-party provider for disaster recovery usually signifies this type of solution. Downtime for this method can still be extended; approximately 24 hours for critical systems, and up to a week for less significant tasks.

A Split Site Disaster Recovery Solution

A split site solution involves stationing the IT department across more than one place. This way, when disaster strikes, all operations can be easily transferred to the other site. If the backups are maintained appropriately, any new equipment can be purchased as needed. With this level of protection, there is no cost for building a disaster center.

A Hot Site Disaster Recovery Solution

Using a hot site recovery solution means that a company’s IT systems and data are copied and maintained at a different data center. Additionally, a separate computer center is remotely located, making copies of data at all times. There are duplicates of each critical server at this site, with data that is copied up to date, taking between hours and seconds. After a disaster, a company can easily switch to the hot site. Though this approach is the most expensive, downtime is at a minimum with it.

Disaster recovery is needed to protect your data. With so many options, it’s difficult to determine which is right for your business. With this outline of the different levels of disaster recovery, you can determine what will work the best for your budget and company needs.