Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity (BC) are very different areas within an organization. While some organizations have them under one group, others have done much to separate them. However, without BC, you really cannot have DR. There is a definitive tie that binds the two together. BC can be defined as a set of […]
Having the Correct DR Personnel Ready
I have been recovering from Covid19. Not the way I wanted to spend the early weeks of 2021, coming on the heals of a disastrous 2020. However, having Covid did provide some time to think about Disaster Recovery and always having the right personnel available. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to have the correct […]
What Does an Exercise Look Like During Covid?
Disaster Recovery exercises are what DR Managers and practitioners live for. It is the chance to show that all the planning that occurs over the course of months or years will allow us to restore our data centers and our applications in the event a true disaster ever occurs. We hold these exercises either monthly, […]
What is the DR Manager’s Job During an Exercise?
The DR Manager wears many hats throughout the year. We are asked to put together Disaster Recovery (DR) Plans, Technical Recovery Plans (TRPs), Data Center Recovery Plans (DRPs), Business Impact Analysis (BIA) documents, as well as countless other documents. We need to know and have a good understanding of the technology employed in our data […]
Are We Ready? A Look To The (Not So Distant?) Future
2020. What an odd year. We have seen some interesting things throughout time, but 2020 has brought something new to many of us. And it leads us to the often-asked question, Are We Ready? As we are all acutely aware, 2020 has brought new problems to the table, probably ones that we never expected. The […]
DR Testing Methodology
When we consider the importance of Disaster Recovery (DR) within an organization, the only true performance measure is a recovery after an actual disaster event in our data center. So, how do you tell if you are ready for that type of event? Does testing monthly, quarterly, or annually provide any real value in defining […]
Technical Recovery Plan (TRP) Best Practices
Technical Recovery Plans (TRPs) are vital to any Disaster Recovery plan. These documents are the foundation for recovering your data center in the event of a true disaster or for testing out your plan and processes. But what should be included in the TRP document? Here we will discuss some of the Technical Recovery Plan […]
The Importance of Discussion and Differing Points of View
Well, the time has come. I have written nine posts on the Blog and am looking to expand it in additional directions. So far, you have all read my thoughts and opinions on topics that I feel are important for any DR professional. I have many more to write about, trust me. Disaster Recovery is […]
Disaster Recovery Minimum Control Standards
It seems like everything within Information Technology (IT) requires some sort of Minimum Control Standards (MCS) to operate. Some organizations call them Minimum Control Requirements or maybe even Minimum Internal Control Standards. The point is to ask whether MCS should apply to Disaster Recovery, and if so, at what level? For decades, organizations have tasked […]
Tiering Applications – How to decide what is important
One of the most important parts of a good DR (Disaster Recovery) plan is to understand the importance each application has within your organization. Only after you understand that can you begin to put each of the applications into Tier levels. Tier levels are the various timeframes that a DR Manager creates to determine when […]