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Article
A disaster recovery testing strategy is key to successful DR
The only way to know for sure that your disaster recovery plan will work is to test it. When disaster strikes, ensure that your plan isn't a dud with frequent testing. Read Now
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Article
Disaster recovery tools: What most DR pros want
Organizations don't have nearly as much confidence in their DR plans as you might think, and -- for many -- disaster recovery plan testing doesn't happen nearly as often as it should. Read Now
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Article
Data center disaster recovery plan template and guide
Read our guide on data center DR planning, and then download our free template to assess how your data center facility and its infrastructure would perform during a disaster. Read Now
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10 steps for optimal IT disaster recovery plan design
Have you ensured your disaster recovery planning is comprehensive and able to be understood by everyone involved? Our guidelines will help set you on the right path. Read Now
Editor's note
You've created a thorough, efficient and reliable disaster recovery plan that will protect your organization's data from potential disasters. You've taken all possible threats into account, from weather events to ransomware attacks. That means you're done, right? Not exactly.
Implementing a disaster recovery testing plan is critical to ensure that your recovery efforts work correctly and meet expectations. Disaster recovery testing will inform you if the plan isn't meeting recovery objective requirements, and enable you to make the necessary changes to get things back up and running quickly. A DR test can also point out vulnerabilities that must be addressed.
With the links below, gain a better understanding of why a disaster recovery testing plan is important, how to efficiently conduct tests, and some tools and terms that you will encounter along the way.
1Do I need to test my DR plan?
Short answer? Yes. For the longer answer, check out the links below. Chief among the benefits of testing is the ability to ensure your plan will work, but that's far from the only reason to run a test of your DR plan. When done properly, a disaster recovery testing plan can keep your recovery strategy updated and even prevent major outages in the future.
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Article
A disaster recovery testing strategy is key to successful DR
The only way to know for sure that your disaster recovery plan will work is to test it. When disaster strikes, ensure that your plan isn't a dud with frequent testing. Read Now
-
Article
Put your IT disaster recovery plan to the test
Operations teams need to make DR planning and preparation a priority every day of the year -- not just at test time. Here's how to keep apps and systems out of harm's way. Read Now
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Article
Disaster recovery planning checklist: Put your team to the test
With all of the planning that disaster recovery takes, it's easy to overlook the basics. Ensure that your DR team isn't skipping over internal issues, like staffing and security. Read Now
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Article
Disaster recovery testing: A vital part of the DR plan
Disaster recovery provision is worthless unless you test out your plans. In this two-part series, Computer Weekly looks at disaster recovery testing in virtualised datacentres Read Now
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Article
Comprehensive disaster recovery testing plan can prevent major outages
The August 2016 Delta outage caused a stir in the disaster recovery world. Ensure your organization doesn't make the same mistakes as the airliner with these DR testing guidelines. Read Now
2Streamline the testing process
Now that you're settled in for testing, there are numerous best practices and tips for conducting the process in a way that works best for your organization. The links below offer advice for building a comprehensive disaster recovery testing plan or strengthening the one you have.
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Article
10 steps for optimal IT disaster recovery plan design
Have you ensured your disaster recovery planning is comprehensive and able to be understood by everyone involved? Our guidelines will help set you on the right path. Read Now
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Article
Test your ransomware recovery plan to safeguard data
Testing your restore process prior to an attack is a major part of surviving a ransomware infection. Reduce recovery time and ensure data is secure with planning and preparation. Read Now
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A guide to a better cloud disaster recovery plan
Disaster recovery as a service has fast become an ideal way for enterprises to tap the cloud to solve their disaster recovery challenges. Read Now
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Article
15 field-proven disaster recovery test plan best practices
Disaster recovery tests require a lot of preparation, but they are essential to a proper DR strategy. This checklist will help your organization before, during and after DR testing. Read Now
3Tools that can help
Testing a DR plan doesn't have to be a chore, and it doesn't need to break the bank either. From disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS) options to incorporating backup principles, there are technologies and tools available that can ease the process and make testing a breeze.
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Article
Can you conduct a disaster recovery test plan on a budget?
While it's always safer for businesses to have properly funded DR plan testing, there are ways to assess your plan even when the data storage budget is not there. Read Now
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Article
3 types of DRaaS: Which approach is best?
Your disaster recovery-as-a-service strategy needs to consider not only business needs but your IT staff's capabilities. Options range from full-on help to do-it-yourself DRaaS. Read Now
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Article
Disaster recovery tools: What most DR pros want
Organizations don't have nearly as much confidence in their DR plans as you might think, and -- for many -- disaster recovery plan testing doesn't happen nearly as often as it should. Read Now
4Put these practices to use
There are so many potential recovery scenarios to prepare for that testing all of them can seem daunting. To simplify the process, download our free templates to see outlines for different testing and planning scenarios. Each template provides a thorough outline of what to do to prepare for a disaster, but can be customized to suit your organization..
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Article
Free IT disaster recovery plan template and guide
A DR strategy is the cornerstone to ensuring infrastructure and applications continue to operate when a major outage hits. Our free DR template outlines the needed steps. Read Now
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Article
Data center disaster recovery plan template and guide
Read our guide on data center DR planning, and then download our free template to assess how your data center facility and its infrastructure would perform during a disaster. Read Now
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Article
Business continuity and disaster recovery testing templates
BC and DR testing can be major challenges for any organization. Our free templates offer ways to incorporate testing into your overall management process. Read Now