In order to remain in business, stay competitive, and keep yourself and your company safe from a data loss disaster, there is a fairly standardised checklist that should be followed if you expect to survive the oft-treacherous contemporary conditions of business computing and Web connectivity.
Navigating Network Disasters: A Comprehensive 10-Point Recovery Checklist
A well-crafted Network Disaster Recovery Plan is your best defence, providing a roadmap to restore your systems and resume operations as quickly as possible. This 10-point checklist is designed to guide you through the essential elements of a robust Network Disaster Recovery Plan, helping you prepare for and navigate through potential network disasters.
Here are 10 things you should have on your data network disaster survival checklist:
1. Implement a solid business continuity plan.
This is perhaps the sin qua non in the world of IT support and protection. It allows a given entity to continue doing business through any cyber threat, data breach, or natural disaster, such as fire, flood, or earthquake that destroys part or all of a physical IT framework. Effective business continuity can occur because of cloud-based or offsite backup, which allows remote access to data via cloud servers.
2. Have a firm disaster recovery policy in place.
As a subset (and very necessary) part of Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, or DR, is essential to keeping a healthy IT network and a future in doing business in a Web-based or cybernetic manner. It involves the employment of a set of procedures or policies that ensure the recovery of data which is vital to business operations and continuation, generally through cloud-based means.
3. Utilise employee cyber safety training and policies in the workplace
Employee cyber safety training and strict policies will cut down significantly on the risk of incurring a serious data breach and any subsequent data loss, downtime, or threat to the company’s future operations.
4. Use antivirus protections on all computers on the network
Using effective antivirus software on all the computer terminals on your IT network will ensure the filtering out of spam, email phishing, malware and other exploits.
5. Don’t ignore the suggested software updates
They may be annoying to most of us, but studies show that it’s a bad idea to ignore the pop-ups from Microsoft and other tech or software platforms. If you don’t want to leave it to your staff to do, have an IT support team that can force updates and upgrades overnight, to eliminate the ignorance of these important updates.
6. Use cloud computing to cut down on overhead cost and data liability
Being able to use cloud computing services to collaborate on projects saves cost and liability in so many ways. Imagine what is saved on travel costs alone, to be able to telecommute or teleconference via shared docs in Office 365, Exchange, and other programs that streamline business productivity and ensure data disaster recovery.
7. Perform a regular network system check
This should be done by an IT professional or support team, and will analyse and report any deficiencies in your IT network’s infrastructure.
8. Perform regular PC maintenance
Performing regular PC maintenance has a built-in checklist of its own which includes:
- Daily data backup
- Weekly scans for malware
- Monthly disk defrags
- Monthly scanning of your hard drive for errors
- Twice-per-year backing-up of hard drive as an image
9. Do semi-regular server maintenance checks
A 12-point server maintenance checklist, as part of healthy server management, should include such steps as backup verification, updating of your OS and control panel, changing passwords, and the checking of remote management tools, server utilisation, and system security. Click on the previous link for more info on how to perform a 12-step server check.
10. Have the most pro-active data loss prevention measures in place
This can include cyber security, intrusion detection and prevention, firewalls, antivirus software, cloud-based storage and software services, and can come as a “turnkey solution” with the right IT company and performance-assurance systems on the job.
The Bottom Line on Surviving Network Disasters
In the digital age, a robust network disaster recovery plan is not just an option, but a necessity. It’s the lifeline that can keep your business afloat in the face of unexpected disasters. This checklist of 10 essential elements serves as a comprehensive guide to ensure your business can withstand and recover from a network disaster.
However, creating and implementing a disaster recovery plan requires careful planning and expertise. At Inspired IT, we’re committed to helping businesses protect their critical data and systems. Our team of experts can help you develop a customised recovery plan that aligns with your business needs and ensures minimal disruption in the event of a disaster.
Don’t leave your business vulnerable to network disasters. Reach out to Inspired IT today to learn more about how we can help you prepare for the unexpected and ensure business continuity, no matter what comes your way.
