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Test your disaster recovery plan month

06.04.2006
It seems in the U.S. we have days and even whole months dedicated to awareness of different issues. For organizations that put forward these "holidays," the goal is to keep a critical topic top of mind for an extended period of time. For example, February is Heart Health Month, September is Baby Safety Month, and so on.

In networking, there is nothing more critical than having a solid disaster recovery plan, so I recommend making April "Test Your Disaster Recovery Plan Month." Every enterprise should take time during this month to either create a plan or review and revise a plan they already have in place. It should be a companywide effort that closely examines every possible scenario from simple power outages to ravaging storms that result in weeks and months of devastation.

Here are some suggestions for developing a comprehensive disaster recovery plan:

1. Make a list of all the possible problems you could encounter that would jeopardize your network. Take into account if you are in a hurricane zone, a flood region or a mudslide area. Also, consider other seasonal problems that interrupt power in various parts of the country such as rolling blackouts or blizzards. Take into account the local environment you are in, such as a high-construction area that might be vulnerable to backhoe incidents. Nothing is too outrageous to consider and plan for.

2. Think of all the people that you would need in a disaster. Too often, companies put the burden of disaster recovery on a single person. What if that person's family is in jeopardy and they must help them? You need to have a team approach to getting your company back on its feet after a disaster. And don't just think of IT personnel. You can take this opportunity to cross-train other employees to be responsive in a disaster.

3. Narrow down who will need access to data during and after a disaster. In a true crisis situation, you must limit who has access to the network. Trying to get everyone back online at their normal work levels is unrealistic. Instead, you should prioritize who in the organization must be reinstated on the network. For instance, your CFO and HR personnel would need access, but maybe not the company receptionist. The pool of people that needs immediate access should be limited. Otherwise, you'll spend more time supporting them than working on the bigger issues you are faced with.