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Business Continuity is Critical: Make Sure Your Disaster Recovery Plan is Ready
Business continuity planning is the backbone of any organization’s ability to withstand disruptive events—whether it’s a natural disaster, a cyberattack, or an unexpected system outage. A robust business continuity plan ensures that your critical business functions can continue operating, even when disaster strikes. Yet, many organizations fall into the trap of thinking a one-time plan is enough, or they overlook essential elements like third-party vendor risks and evolving business processes.
To avoid these common mistakes, it’s crucial to start with a thorough risk assessment. Identify which business functions are absolutely critical to your operations and map out the potential risks that could impact them. Don’t forget to include dependencies on third-party vendors, as their failures can significantly impact your ability to maintain business continuity. Once you’ve pinpointed your critical business processes, develop a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that addresses each risk and outlines clear recovery strategies.
But planning doesn’t stop there. Business continuity plans must be living documents—regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changes in your organization, technology, and the threat landscape. By making continuity planning an ongoing process, you’ll ensure your organization is always ready to respond effectively, minimize downtime, and protect your critical business assets when disruptive events occur.
Most companies have some sort of disaster recovery plan in place, but many plans don’t survive an actual disaster. Data recovery procedures are often filed away and forgotten, and company leaders go on with day-to-day work believing they’ll refer to the plan if the worst occurs. But because these plans are often not tested, updated, or reviewed, insufficient testing can result in disaster recovery plans failing during real crises. Companies tend to overlook significant problems with their disaster responses. Inadequate planning can result in significant loss and prolonged disruption to business operations. It is only when a cyberattack or environmental disaster disrupts their business continuity that the plan is given a second look.
This is an important situation to solve – your business can’t simply stop just because something happened. After a disastrous event, you and your employees need to keep working to maintain cash flow and client relationships. It is crucial to maintain business operations during and after a disaster to minimize losses and ensure continuity. You won’t have the luxury of time to figure out how to rebuild your business.
On the other hand, it’s easy to see how something like disaster recovery planning can fall to the wayside. Disaster recovery plans need to be regularly reviewed to ensure they remain effective and relevant to current risks. We would venture to say most companies either don’t believe a plan is needed or think they don’t have the time to spend on something that doesn’t bring in revenue.
Some companies believe they’ll just figure things out if a disaster happens. Others make the mistake of believing their firm is not important enough to be the target of something like a ransomware attack—but hackers don’t care what your data is or who else may be interested in it; they believe your data is important to you and you’ll pay to get it back.
Even when disaster plans ARE in place, not everyone knows about them. Would your teams know what to do in their departments when things go wrong?
Preparing for disaster recovery needs to be more than a set of steps written on an obscure document. Your plan needs to be tested, updated, and reviewed so your company is ready to act and maintain operations.
The following are the three biggest mistakes we believe most companies make when preparing for a catastrophe. As you read, ask yourself if your company is making these mistakes and how you might mitigate the problems so you can rest assured that your disaster recovery plan will actually help when the time comes.
Problem 1 — The Disaster Plan Hasn't Been Tested
Disaster recovery plans can often be theoretical. The realities of a catastrophic system failure, natural disaster or ransomware attack catch many people off guard, even if they believe they’re prepared. For that reason, it’s important that any plan be tested, so you can be confident it functions. Insufficient testing can result in plans failing when they are needed most, leaving organizations vulnerable to extended downtime and data loss. You need real-world testing to know your plan will really work.
For example, many organizations already back up important data—but they don’t realize the realities of retrieving it. If backups are not properly managed and tested, there is a significant risk of data loss during a disaster. “Some companies just back up to the cloud.” Explains Justin Ekstein, Solution Engineer with Prime. “But if your server crashes and you need to get the data quickly, it can take days or even weeks to get that information back. Is that acceptable? Some businesses can’t last if they lose days or clients over delays.” In addition to backing up to the cloud, it’s crucial to implement robust data backup strategies, including setting recovery point objectives (RPOs) to minimize data loss and ensure backups align with business continuity needs.
Companies also sometimes fail to consider where data will be downloaded to. Where will you get replacement equipment if your office is destroyed or inaccessible? If you lose most of the equipment in your building—how long will it really take to get back up to speed? It’s important to provide backup systems and equipment to ensure quick recovery and maintain operations. It’s important to find out.
No matter how you decide to prepare, every aspect of your disaster recovery plan should be tested. That way, you and your team will know for sure what to do and you’ll spot any potential problems well ahead of time. Not sure how to test your plan? Ask an expert to help (see more about this below). They’ve seen plans fail and know how to help you avoid it.
Our Pro Tip For Data Backups and Data Recovery
When it comes to backing up your data, we recommend following the 3-2-1 rule, especially if you have decided to manage your data backups in-house. Let us break down the 3-2-1 rule for you.
- 3- Maintain at least three copies of your data
- 2- Have at least two different media types. For example backing up to cloud storage and backing up to an external hard drive
- 1- Have at least one offsite copy, physically separate from your main systems.
Problem 2 — The Disaster Plan is Out-of-Date
Another common mistake is assuming that because you made a plan, it will stay relevant. But while the plan sits filed away, things about your business change. You might introduce new systems or important employees might move on, leaving your plan with a missing link.
For this reason, your disaster recovery plan should be regularly reviewed. It is important to regularly review and update business continuity plans to reflect organizational changes, evolving risks, and lessons learned from past incidents. You could list it in your annual operations plan. And make sure your disaster plan is comprehensive enough in the first place to cover any major changes in your business. Conducting a business impact analysis helps identify critical processes and human resources that must be protected to ensure business continuity. When making significant changes in the way you operate, consider how those changes should be reflected in your disaster plan, and make any necessary adjustments. It is essential to update business continuity plans to address new risks and ensure critical processes are maintained
Problem 3 — No One Knows What the Disaster Plan Is
When things go awry, you won’t have time for an impromptu training session. If employees don’t know the plan, on the day a disaster hits the plan may do little good! It is essential to train employees through regular exercises and drills so they are prepared to execute the plan effectively. As a group, you need to know what to do as soon as something goes wrong.
For one thing, if employees don’t know what to do, they may make snap judgements, which often do more harm than good. “It’s easy to panic and just start doing things,” says Ekstein. “If you know your plan, you have a clear decision and all you have to do is run through the steps. Having the process all laid out helps you have a clear head.”
For instance, some people’s first reaction to a ransomware attack is to reset all the equipment. However, this deletes important information that can tell you what happened. Among other problems this presents, you may find that without direct evidence of a hack it will be difficult to get your insurance company to cover damages. If you’d like to learn more about cyber insurance and the claims process we recommend:
The solution is periodic review of the plan with all employees—maybe even consider providing opportunities for practice with mock disaster events. Continuity management plays a key role in avoiding common pitfalls, such as failing to update or test plans, and helps ensure organizational resilience. You can’t act totally on instinct during a disaster. Make sure your entire staff is mentally prepared and knows what the plan is, so everyone can move forward with a cool head.
The Importance of Employee Training and Awareness
Even the most detailed business continuity plans can fail if employees aren’t prepared to put them into action. Employee training and awareness are essential for successful implementation of your continuity plan. When disaster strikes, your team needs to know exactly what to do—confusion or hesitation can lead to costly delays and business continuity failures.
Many organizations make the common mistake of treating training as a one-time event, or worse, skipping it altogether. To ensure your staff can respond effectively, invest in regular training sessions that cover crisis management, data security, and recovery strategies. Simulated drills and tabletop exercises are invaluable for building “muscle memory” and helping employees understand their roles during a crisis.
Ongoing education not only boosts organizational resilience but also helps identify gaps in your continuity plans before a real disaster exposes them. By prioritizing employee training and awareness, you empower your team to act confidently and maintain business continuity, no matter what challenges arise.
Communication Strategies for Effective Disaster Recovery
Clear, timely communication is a cornerstone of effective disaster recovery and business continuity. When a disruptive event occurs, confusion can quickly spread if there isn’t a well-defined communication strategy in place. That’s why your business continuity plan should include detailed procedures for sharing critical information with employees, customers, and stakeholders.
Start by establishing clear lines of communication and designating a spokesperson to ensure consistent, accurate messaging. Use a multi-channel approach—such as email, text messaging, and social media—to reach all audiences quickly, even if some systems are down. Your communication plan should also outline how and when to provide updates, so everyone stays informed as the situation evolves.
Regularly reviewing and updating your communication strategies is just as important as testing your recovery procedures. By keeping your communication plan current and practicing its execution, you’ll be better prepared to respond to unexpected challenges, minimize confusion, and reduce the risk of business continuity failures when disaster recovery efforts are underway.
A Solution to Disaster Planning Problems: Managed Services
Whatever the disaster, an MSP has probably seen it before (or something like it) and knows exactly what to do. Business continuity management is essential for maintaining business continuity during disruptions, ensuring your organization can continue operating smoothly. A firm such as Prime Secured can use the extensive knowledge and experience of its staff to get you operating again in no time, so you can continue to focus on your normal daily operations.
“When something happens, any organization will need an army of IT people to be up and running in a reasonable time. They’ll be overwhelmed with so many different people to talk to and problems to solve on top of their normal operation, and if they don’t have a sizable IT staff, it can be a problem. An MSP can help with recovery. They’ll have the experience and knowledge you need to get up and running faster."
A managed services provider can also store your data in a secure location and ensure you have ready access when you need it. Data centers and other critical infrastructure play a vital role in ensuring business continuity by providing secure, redundant environments for your data and systems. In addition, Prime for example has extra equipment on hand, ready to use if you need fast replacements. If you engage a provider that offers a virtual chief information officer, that person can provide the executive expertise to help you prepare for disaster and plan steps to recovery.
You don’t need to face disaster alone. And if you wait for a disaster to strike, it will be too late. Consider working with a managed services team that can share its experience bringing businesses back from destruction, whether it’s the weather, malicious hackers, or major hardware failure. Natural disasters, extreme weather, and cyber threats can all disrupt operations, so it’s crucial to safeguard operations with proactive planning and risk mitigation strategies. Don’t get caught off-guard—get a functional plan in place so a disaster doesn’t spell the end of your business.
If you believe it would help your organization to draw on the expertise of a managed services provider for your disaster plan, consider giving Prime Secured a call. Managed services can help protect your brand reputation and provide valuable insights by learning from past mistakes, strengthening your business continuity planning.
A well-known example of the risks posed by outdated systems and human error is the FAA system outage, which disrupted critical infrastructure and grounded air missions nationwide. This incident highlights the importance of regularly reviewing and updating systems, learning from such failures, and implementing robust business continuity management to ensure operational resilience.
Visit us at www.primesecured.com and we’ll show you how working with a managed services provider could help you protect your business. Regularly reviewing your planning process, implementing business continuity strategies, and using multi factor authentication are essential steps to protect sensitive data and ensure your organization is prepared for any disruption.
