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How to Prepare for a Disaster

Threat Assessment – what constitutes a disaster?

There are really two classes of disasters to think about:

1. Those that render the computer system(s) unusable or unavailable
   • Worms, viruses, catastrophic hardware/software failures, sabotage
2. Those that render the whole building uninhabitable
   • Fires, floods, famines, diseases, terrorism, war,

Assessing the impact

Ask yourself:

1. What would happen if your organization shut down for, say, one month? One week? One day?
2. Where is the line between really inconvenient and devastating?

Planning

For planning purposes, assume a worst case scenario.

• Your building(s) are destroyed.
• All user workstations are gone.
• Transportation is a mess.
• Telecom is a mess.
• You have no way to physically salvage anything from work.
• Emergency crews are scrambling like mad to restore basic services.
• And you have important work deadlines that must be met right now.

The good news:

• The rest of the world is still functioning

Some things to consider before disaster strikes:

• Keep records!
  • Which servers do what?
  • What is installed on each desktop/laptop?
  • Where are the shared folders and databases?
  • Which users have permission to do what?
  • Any special server or desktop registry or other settings?
  • Where do you keep all those installation CDs?
• Obviously, run regular backups and keep a tape rotation offsite.
  • Periodically practice restoring from bare metal onto one or more test systems.
• Obviously, make arrangements with somebody for a recovery site.
  • And don’t forget to provide a means of data and people communication between the recovery site and key employees’ homes.
• Use hardware/software that is easy to replace.
  • You could also keep a full working system constantly up and running at the backup site
  • If software requires activation, how will this work if it’s an old version and you need the magic license key? What if the vendor is no longer around?

A low cost plan outline that won’t break the bank

• Keep hardware and software current. Hardware no more than 3 years old, software no more than one release behind the latest version.
• Contract with somebody for a backup site.
  • This might be an office suite across town, a co-location arrangement with somebody, or a secure data center someplace, depending on how elaborate you need to be.
  • Make sure the contract includes an Internet connection with a small block of static IP Addresses that you control.
  • Make sure the backup site is at least across town from your main site. You might want it even farther away.
• Set up an InfraWall system at your main site and the recovery site and build a branch office IPSEC tunnel between the two sites.
• Set up PPTP tunnels between the recovery site and key employees’ homes. You might also want a tunnel to your main location.
• If you decide to keep backup server hardware at the recovery site, periodically copy key data from the main site to the recovery site as part of the normal backup routine.
• If you decide to acquire replacement hardware in the event of an emergency, keep in close touch with your:
  • Insurance company to find out how fast you can settle claims
  • Hardware vendor(s) to find out how fast they can ship replacement hardware
  • Software vendor(s) to find out how much support you can expect

Next Steps

Let InfraSupport work with you to build a Disaster Recovery plan.  InfraSupport can help you implement the plan.  With InfraSupport as your partner, you can afford an IT infrastructure that will carry your business into the future.