For small business owners, dealing with unexpected events like cyber attacks or natural disasters is a scary reality—everything you’ve worked hard for can be threatened in an instant. In fact, nearly 40% of small and medium sized businesses aren’t able to bounce back after hard hits like these.
Working with managed IT services in Los Angeles to create a thorough disaster recovery (DR) plan is key to preparing for these moments. Without it, you risk significant data and financial loss and downtime, jeopardizing your company’s reputation and survival. We’ve identified seven common pitfalls in DR plans and provided action items to help your business avoid becoming another statistic.
1. Lack of a Comprehensive Risk Assessment
Without a thorough risk assessment, you could end up with significant vulnerabilities in your DR plan. The possibility of unforeseen events like natural disasters and cyber threats are often underestimated, which leaves critical systems exposed. This could end up resulting in serious downtime and data loss.
What You Can Do
- Conduct regular and thorough risk assessments that are specific to both your company and the industry.
- Update the assessment process periodically to evaluate the effects of new threats.
2. Inadequate Testing and Drills
Running disaster drills is key to complete preparation, but ineffective drills fail to serve their true purpose. Infrequent tests make it difficult for your team to remember best practices and leave you open to newer threats. For small to medium sized businesses, testing is recommended at least once a year.
Superficial drills are unhelpful because they fail to accurately simulate real-world scenarios. This leads to a false sense of security and unpreparedness in actual disaster situations. Work with your IT services in LA to form a system of realistic disaster drills.
What You Can Do
- Schedule regular, comprehensive DR tests and drills and encourage employee involvement.
- Analyze test results and adjust your plan to fill in any gaps in knowledge or procedures.
3. Insufficient Backup and Data Protection
Insufficient backup and data protection can be disastrous, particularly if backups are infrequent or stored solely on-site. This leaves critical data vulnerable to loss in the event of a disaster, which could result in prolonged downtime and potentially irreversible damage to your business operations.
What You Can Do
- With the help of managed IT services in Los Angeles, implement a robust backup strategy with frequent and redundant backups.
- Utilize both on-site and off-site backup strategies to protect information if one area is compromised.
4. Overlooking Communication Plans
It’s easy to skip over communication procedures when forming a disaster recovery plan, but without a clearly outlined communication strategy, notifying the right people at the right time about the incident will be difficult. This inefficient communication can ultimately slow your operations down.
What You Can Do
- Develop a detailed communication plan outlining roles and responsibilities for each staff member, including when to inform employees, customers, stockholders, and the public about the disaster.
- Consistently update contact information and make sure all team members have access.
- Define backup communication methods in case primary lines are unavailable.
5. Neglecting Third-Party Dependencies
Don’t forget to think about other companies that are connected with yours when creating a DR plan. Relying on third-party services without adequate contingency plans can lead to severe operational disruptions if those providers face their own issues. This makes it essential to have backup providers or alternative solutions in place.
What You Can Do
- Identify all critical third-party dependencies associated with your company and what operations they are most crucial for.
- Consult trusted IT service in LA to develop recovery plans for the case of a disaster for each third-party service.
6. Inadequate Documentation and Plan Accessibility
Without detailed and well-organized documentation, teams may struggle to understand their roles and responsibilities in the event of a disaster. This disorganization can lead to confusion and delays in critical decision-making processes. If the DR plan is not easily accessible, key personnel might be unable to retrieve the necessary information quickly.
This can result in prolonged service outages, financial losses, and a damaged reputation as both internal stakeholders and customers experience frustration and a loss of trust in the organization’s ability to manage and recover from disasters.
What You Can Do
- Maintain comprehensive DR documentation and add updates and changes quickly.
- Ensure the DR plan is easily accessible to all relevant personnel and train them on how to access it quickly in the case of an incident.
7. Failing to Keep the Plan Up-to-Date
An outdated DR plan is unable to address the latest and most pertinent cyber threats, which can leave your organization vulnerable. This lack of preparedness often leads to inefficient or ineffective recovery processes, which increases both downtime and losses.
Changing industry regulations and compliance requirements also make it crucial to keep your plan current so you can minimize the legal repercussions of disasters. Professionals working in Los Angeles have the knowledge and expertise to keep you up-to-date on these standards.
What You Can Do
- Work with your IT company to regularly review and update your DR plan.
- Incorporate feedback from tests, drills, and actual incidents to refine your plan.
Plan Well with Praxis
If you’re looking for managed IT services in Los Angeles, you’ll find something special at Praxis. We care about your business and what makes it unique, so we’ll create a personalized plan to protect you from unexpected events. We value teamwork and combining skills to make your plan comprehensive, keeping your company alive and well through difficult episodes.
Don’t leave your organization exposed and susceptible. Call us today to get started on your custom disaster recovery plan.
