Mastering disaster recovery: Best practices for business resilience

This is where having a robust disaster recovery strategy becomes essential to minimize downtime and ensure business continuity.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, between January 2020 and December 2022, the number of known ransomware attacks in the United States increased by 47 percent, and ransomware attackers extorted at least $449.1 million globally during the first half of 2023.

At Flexential, we understand the importance of being prepared for the unexpected. That's why we've put together a comprehensive Disaster Recovery Handbook, focusing on essential strategies and real-world wisdom to help organizations fortify their defenses against IT disasters. Here's a sneak peek at some of the key areas covered: 

Building a foundation: The four pillars of disaster recovery

Our handbook dives into the four main components that make up a best-practice disaster recovery (DR) solution: technical infrastructure, disaster recovery plan, recovery procedures and communication, and testing regimen. While the technical aspects are crucial, we emphasize the equal importance of documentation, planning, and regular testing.

Technology and infrastructure readiness

Leveraging the right technology and ensuring that your infrastructure can support your DR plans is essential. Whether it's on-premises, cloud, or hybrid solutions, the right technological tools and configurations play a pivotal role in facilitating effective disaster recovery.

Building a solid DR plan

A strong DRP is the backbone of your DR strategy. We outline the critical elements every DRP should have, including risk assessment, business impact analysis, clear objectives and goals, roles and responsibilities, communication protocols, data backup procedures, and more. It should encompass a clear outline of recovery point objectives (RPOs) and recovery time objectives (RTOs), which dictate how much data loss is acceptable and how quickly systems need to be back online, respectively. Having this roadmap helps execute recovery efforts swiftly and confidently.

Guiding steps on recovery procedures

Clear and reliable communication during a disaster is crucial for swift recovery. Establish robust communication plans and steps that detail how to inform internal teams, stakeholders, and customers during a crisis, ensuring all parties are updated and coordinated.

Regular testing and continuous improvement

Simply having a plan isn't enough - regular testing is key to validating its effectiveness. We provide invaluable guidelines on planning and executing DR tests, from defining objectives and scenarios to involving stakeholders, documenting results, and implementing improvements. This proactive approach helps identify potential weaknesses and training opportunities for your team.

The importance of tiered workload protection

Not all workloads require the same level of protection. Our handbook explores a tiered approach, mapping solutions from active-active to offsite storage based on each workload's criticality. This approach ensures your most vital services are well-protected while optimizing resources for less critical applications.

The disaster management lifecycle 

Once you have your workloads mapped out and your solution deployed, our handbook walks you through the continuous disaster management lifecycle, covering mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery actions. This cycle helps predict how your DR solution will function and identifies areas for continuous improvement.

Safeguarding against emerging threats

Our handbook underscores the critical integration of cybersecurity within DR planning to safeguard against increasing cyber threats. Emphasizing comprehensive protections, it details the deployment of advanced technologies such as end-to-end encryption and multi-factor authentication, ensuring data integrity and security while reinforcing the resilience of your plan against potential breaches and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

Leveraging Flexential expertise

Executing a robust DR strategy can be complex, which is why we emphasize the value of partnering with experienced DR consultants. Flexential offers a wide array of disaster recovery services that cater to diverse business needs. Industries regulated by stringent compliance standards find our tailored DR solutions especially beneficial, as they align with specific regulatory needs while providing robust data protection and recovery capabilities.

From cloud-based solutions to comprehensive DRaaS (Disaster Recovery as a Service), Flexential ensures that your DR plan is not only well-documented but also practically invincible when put to the test. Their services are designed to minimize downtime and ensure fast recovery, which is vital for maintaining trust and continuity.

Engage with experts: Get the handbook

While this blog offers only a snapshot of effective disaster recovery strategies, the full handbook available through Flexential goes much deeper. It covers all the detailed aspects of DR planning, testing, and execution, enriched with expert insights and case studies that can transform your approach to disaster recovery.

For a more comprehensive exploration of how to fortify your operations against disruptions and to tailor a DR plan that fits your unique requirements, download our Disaster Recovery Handbook.