I blogged about preparedness in my previous post “The Devil is in the Details” and I stand by the fact that it is important to spend hours lovingly crafting the most detailed and comprehensive plan known to mankind. But, how do you know your plan will work? What if a disaster comes knocking at your door and you find your hours of labor have resulted in nothing more than a lot of procedures which don’t actually work? I’ll tell you what, you’re in trouble.
Fortunately for you, I have the answer (predictable, aren’t I?), and it really is quite simple – Test your disaster recovery plan. Test every aspect of it, and if you’re not satisfied with the results go back, refine it and then test some more.
A perfect example of the importance of regular testing is provided by two medium sized New Orleans businesses that were all but shut down during Hurricane Katrina. Both had previously put on paper comprehensive disaster recovery plans, integrating all departments and managerial levels in a holistic approach which laid out clear plans of action for all employees given a variety of disaster scenarios. What was the difference between the two businesses? One had carried out disaster recovery tests, focusing on each process and procedure. The other (you guessed it) had not.
The business which had previously tested activated its recovery plan, called in Agility, and experienced a smooth, efficient recovery. Calm efficiency prevailed and everyone knew their roles and responsibilities. The net result was that the business was up and running within a couple of days.
As for the business that did not test, well – while they had information down on paper – that wasn’t quite enough. Roles and responsibilities had not been clearly defined, company employees were not sure what they were supposed to be doing and there was a lack of communication within the organization. They activated their recovery plan; however, there were many kinks in the road to recovery. Unfortunately, chaos reigned within the business. Fortunately, Agility brought things under control and had the resources and facilities in place in time for the member to bring its people back.
I know what you are thinking – the quicker recovering of the two businesses must have been a bit larger and obviously had plenty of resources and money to throw at the problem. Maybe they did, but so what? What relevance does size have in the world of disaster recovery planning, where success or failure can come down to the smallest detail? Regardless of size, every business needs a plan and every business needs to test that plan.
There are ample resources and educational webinars available to businesses of every size for little to no cost. Did you know that a standard recovery test costs an average of $2,000? It may sound like a lot but it’s worth every penny if the doors to your business are able to stay open following a disaster. And it proves the point that you don’t need to spend hundreds of thousands, or even millions, on your disaster recovery strategy.
And that brings me back to my main point, which is that not only do you need to plan, but you need to test at every level within your business. Make sure every critical employee and manager has a copy of your plan and knows how to react to any given situation, whether it is something as simple as a failed server or as devastating as a complete building loss. Communicate, evaluate, test internally with table-top exercises, test externally with your vendors and make sure they can continue to operate during a regional disaster like a hurricane or a wild fire. Have your IT team practice switching over to a recovery site, find alternative sites to use in the event your building is inaccessible, and put in place disaster communications and action plans that can be activated not within hours, but within minutes of a disaster event.
Obviously I am going to be a little biased when it comes to the subject of testing disaster recovery plans, since I am a testing consultant. Testing is what I do. However, I don’t think you can ever understate the importance of regular and thorough testing. Be aware of the things that could make or break your business during a disaster and make sure you set your business up to be a survivor. Trust me, you’ll feel much better for it, and you’ll probably sleep better at night too
Check out our latest Testing Your Recovery Plan – Agility Answers Your Questions archived Webinar for more information on disaster recovery services.
Want to learn more about the complete range of testing solutions Agility offers? Please visit Agility or call 877-364-9393 and ask to speak to one of our testing consultants. You never know, you might even end up talking to me!
Ben Pritchard
Agility Recovery