Tips

Tips

• Ten business continuity risks to monitor

  Business continuity and disaster recovery threats vary by organization, but common threads can be found across the globe. Ten worrisome trends appear to be having a big year.  Continue Reading

• Don't let your BC/DR plan get lost in the shuffle

  How can you maintain consistency in your BC/DR strategy in a world of constantly evolving technology? If it's a reactive part of IT, you're already behind.  Continue Reading

• Lessons in business continuity and disaster recovery planning

  When crafting a business continuity and disaster recovery plan, you have to anticipate the unexpected. Here is what we can learn about BC/DR from two high-profile disasters.  Continue Reading

• Converged backup and recovery strategies offer efficiency, reliability

  Are you confident in your backup and recovery strategy? Make sure you have locked down the speed, testing and security of both processes to recover data appropriately.  Continue Reading

• Cloud data recovery challenges and how to overcome them

  For an organization with a short recovery time objective, what makes a good cloud DR strategy? Availability, along with strong security, is a must-have.  Continue Reading

• A ransomware recovery plan for SMBs in five steps

  SMBs are especially at risk of cyberattacks. Follow these steps, and even with a limited budget and staff, you could successfully recover from ransomware.  Continue Reading

• Create your best GRC program with business continuity and DR

  Any governance, risk management and compliance program should work with an organization's business continuity process. There are challenges to consider, though.  Continue Reading

• Using virtualized disaster recovery to fight ransomware

  When it comes to fighting and protecting against ransomware, there are some major features of virtual disaster recovery that top physical environments.  Continue Reading

• Don't overlook these business resilience plan essentials

  Business resilience planning requires preventive and proactive protections across power supply, systems, cybersecurity and backup procedures. Staff planning is important as well.  Continue Reading

• Why a natural disaster recovery plan is necessary

  Recent storms have shown that organizations need to plan for the worst to be safe. Improve your organization's disaster resilience by being diligent with BC/DR planning.  Continue Reading

• Ransomware disaster recovery: A checklist for continuity

  Protection against ransomware can save a business money and time in the event of an attack. It's critical to plan ahead with BC/DR and security best practices.  Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery environment must back hyper-converged stack

  Hyper-converged infrastructure should work without issues, but can cause complications in your disaster recovery system. Make sure you implement the proper DR checks.  Continue Reading

• Adding cybersecurity as a service to a BC/DR plan

  Compare a traditional network perimeter configuration with cloud cybersecurity and see if this new kind of security platform can improve your business continuity.  Continue Reading

• Virtualized disaster recovery environment tests ease pain

  When implementing virtual disaster recovery tests, make sure you have the right people and business support lined up, and test the entire application stack.  Continue Reading

• Why you need a cybersecurity incident response plan with DR

  Business continuity and disaster recovery are often linked, but a cybersecurity incident response may be a stand-alone activity, which shouldn't be the case.  Continue Reading

• Eight warning signs your DRaaS vendor needs replacing

  Have you ever thought your disaster recovery as a service provider may not be quite up to par? It's OK to make a change, especially if you notice one or more of these red flags.  Continue Reading

• Understand virtualized disaster recovery practices and practicalities

  Elements of virtual disaster recovery are not available in the physical world and can make IT life easier. Is it time for your organization to go all-virtual?  Continue Reading

• Cloud disaster recovery plan testing should include provider

  Get your cloud DR test plan in order with this group of guidelines. Find out what your DRaaS vendor has to offer in terms of testing and how to make the most of it.  Continue Reading

• Your business continuity communication plan should include impact of social media

  Social media mistakes can bring down an organization as easily as a technical disruption can. It's important to analyze user activity and include it in a business continuity plan.  Continue Reading

• Business continuity planning steps to keep your organization running

  Tackle the business continuity plan process with this checklist of items that details what to include in documents and who to include in planning and emergency situations.  Continue Reading

• Seven business continuity strategy planning mistakes

  Given the comprehensive nature of business continuity planning, mistakes can happen. Explore some of the most common errors to avoid before a disaster hits.  Continue Reading

• Protection against ransomware takes flight with canary files

  As ransomware attackers get smarter, it's important for data protection systems to step up their game. Canary files and infection detection are a good start.  Continue Reading

• Using a DRaaS provider could bring unexpected costs

  How you use a DRaaS product could affect your pricing. See what hidden costs may arise when you outsource your disaster recovery to a third-party vendor.  Continue Reading

• Include IoT risk management in your BC/DR efforts

  Internet of things security concerns are causing business continuity and disaster recovery professionals to create new risk assessments and business impact analyses.  Continue Reading

• Amazon Web Services outage provides disaster recovery lessons

  If you depend on Amazon Web Services or another cloud service provider, make sure you have a proper disaster recovery plan in place in the event of an outage.  Continue Reading

• Six BC/DR plan questions you might be afraid to ask

  When crafting a business continuity and disaster recovery plan, there are a lot of steps and factors to consider. We've compiled the top questions you might be afraid to ask.  Continue Reading

• Consolidate your disaster recovery providers with care

  Before consolidating your disaster recovery operations, explore the advantages and disadvantages. Can you generate an adequate return on investment for DR consolidation?  Continue Reading

• CMS emergency preparedness rule for healthcare: Compliance tips

  The CMS Final Rule details emergency response and business continuity regulations for healthcare. Noncompliance could result in the loss of Medicare and Medicaid benefits.  Continue Reading

• Windows Server 2016 Storage Replica feature aids cluster replication

  One of the top storage-related improvements in Microsoft Windows Server 2016 is cluster-to-cluster replication using the Datacenter Edition's Storage Replica feature.  Continue Reading

• When picking a DRaaS provider, preparation makes perfect

  With many options in the DRaaS market now, the proper analysis of your business and potential vendors is crucial. This step-by-step guide will help you narrow the field.  Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery and business continuity plans require updating

  Updating business continuity and disaster recovery plans can seem daunting, but it becomes easier when you delegate tasks and focus on the most important parts.  Continue Reading

• Enhance cloud resiliency with proper data management

  Explore factors that can influence your level of cloud resilience, such as outages in different geographic locations, and the importance of positioning data for quick recovery.  Continue Reading

• A proper grasp of business continuity controls helps auditing process

  How does your company prepare for a business continuity audit? Discover what documents you should gather to prove compliance when auditors come calling.  Continue Reading

• Match disaster recovery as a service providers to business needs

  DRaaS vendors must do more than make your data available in a disaster. The specifics of how their recovery works can determine if a vendor is right for your organization.  Continue Reading

• Plan your ransomware recovery strategy with cloud DR

  Ensure protection against ransomware with snapshots and the cloud. Plus, implement stringent controls on backup storage to increase safety from attacks.  Continue Reading

• 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.  Continue Reading

• How to complete a disaster recovery plan process without funding

  There are paths you can take if your organization does not allow for DR plan spending. Check out templates, websites and a concise demonstration of how to do it.  Continue Reading

• Implementing instant VM recovery and virtual test labs

  Thinking about instant virtual machine recovery for backup? Check out these three necessities when using the technology and learn how the process compares to a virtual test lab.  Continue Reading

• Six business continuity management system trends shaping the industry

  The growing business continuity management market is affected by many different factors, from new standards to cloud-based systems to expanded training programs.  Continue Reading

• Business continuity managers must expand their training to stay viable

  The role of the business continuity specialist has changed in the last 30 years. How will the next generation of BC managers cope with the constant introduction of new technology?  Continue Reading

• Backup vs. disaster recovery: Is there a clear winner?

  With product and technology improvements, data backup and disaster recovery are converging, but that doesn't necessarily mean your organization should drop one of the disciplines.  Continue Reading

• Windows container portability can affect your DR strategy

  Windows containers can be easily moved, thus providing a solid disaster recovery opportunity, but you should understand details about when and how to use them first.  Continue Reading

• Risk assessment analysis and BIA data in BC plans

  Examine how BIA and RA data are used to formulate business continuity strategies. It's common to bypass these steps, but the data can result in more precise and focused BC plans.  Continue Reading

• Craft a winning risk analysis procedure in five easy steps

  When managing your organization's risk assessment procedure, the right planning and data handling can make all the difference in crafting a business continuity strategy.  Continue Reading

• Risk assessment procedure: How to keep it simple

  A risk assessment process is an important factor in creating a business continuity strategy. Explore how to conduct and evaluate a risk assessment plan in a straightforward manner.  Continue Reading

• Active Directory disaster recovery: Top remote uses

  Active Directory can be an effective medium for remote disaster recovery. These guidelines will help your organization replicate an AD database to a remote location.  Continue Reading

• Azure disaster recovery: Best practices for restoring VMs

  With Azure VM backup, virtual machines can run in the cloud while a business gets back on its feet. But there are two key considerations to keep in mind.  Continue Reading

• Cloud recovery service providers: Areas of concern

  Discover why location, networking, failback and SLAs are important in picking a cloud disaster recovery service. Then find out what it takes to implement it.  Continue Reading

• Cloud data recovery: Documentation is the key to success

  In creating a plan for data recovery in the cloud, it's important to keep track of your infrastructure, DR requirements and the potential duration of failover.  Continue Reading

• How a change management plan can help disaster recovery

  Learn to construct a change management system and address business continuity maintenance, and how the two processes complement each other in a BC/DR plan.  Continue Reading

• DRaaS vendors: Nine areas to assess in the vetting process

  From performance and cost to infrastructure and scalability, there is a lot to compare when selecting a DRaaS provider. This checklist will help you make the right choice.  Continue Reading

• Updated FFIEC Business Continuity Planning booklet tips

  The latest FFIEC BC handbook has made vendor resilience and cyber-resilience auditable issues. Even nonfinancial institutions should incorporate the handbook into their BC plans.  Continue Reading

• 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.  Continue Reading

• Address cloud failover issues with DRaaS

  Failing over to the cloud can be handled by a DRaaS provider, but concerns over data movement and performance need to be addressed before the cloud DR strategy is implemented.  Continue Reading

• The importance of a failover plan for data center disasters

  Failing over to another data center after a disaster can be challenging. Learn the key elements to plan to ensure your operations continue running well.  Continue Reading

• Smooth your DR test plan with available technologies

  A disaster recovery test plan can prevent possible computing disasters and help users recover from unforeseen events. Discover how to make your organization more resilient.  Continue Reading

• Data replication technologies: Benefits and drawbacks

  Data volume plays a large role when implementing host-, array- and network-based data replication technologies. This tip breaks down the pros and cons of each approach.  Continue Reading

• Data loss prevention best practices to improve BC and DR

  Expert Paul Kirvan details data loss prevention best practices that can thwart a potentially devastating disruption to BC and DR operations in any organization.  Continue Reading

• Lower disaster recovery costs in five steps

  Technology is coming to the rescue for organizations looking to lower their disaster recovery costs. Learn how these steps can help decrease your DR expenses.  Continue Reading

• Five disaster recovery test plan mistakes to avoid

  Expert Paul Kirvan details five disaster recovery test plan errors to eliminate from your pre-test buildup, and some considerations for during and after testing.  Continue Reading

• Cloud recovery: Five reasons to fail back

  Cloud recovery and running a VM in the cloud can work for your organization. But the migration should be planned rather than be part of a failover.  Continue Reading

• How to integrate the PDCA process with BC plans

  The PDCA process ensures that a business continuity system, and the activities it supports, can be continually reviewed and improved to be compliant with ISO standards.  Continue Reading

• New global BIA standard worth a look

  ISO 22317, a new global standard for conducting a business impact analysis, is worth a look if you are preparing to perform a BIA or updating a current BIA.  Continue Reading

• Four tips for a successful business continuity audit

  Learn how best to collaborate with internal and external auditors to audit for business continuity and disaster recovery improvements.  Continue Reading

• Improve your disaster recovery project management

  Effective project management in business continuity and disaster recovery requires proper plans, establishing goals and deliverables, and setting a schedule.  Continue Reading

• Continuous improvement process important for BC/DR

  A process for continuous improvement of BC/DR operational and administrative activities is an important aspect of a business continuity management system.  Continue Reading

• How UPS devices can protect a virtualization host

  Uninterruptible power supply devices protect servers against power failures, but protecting virtualization hosts requires unique considerations.  Continue Reading

• Today's most popular business continuity/disaster recovery standards

  BC/DR standards have evolved dramatically over the past 10-15 years. Find out the most widely used standards and practices with this updated list.  Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery costs: The cloud vs. in-house DR

  Cloud disaster recovery is frequently lauded as a lower-cost alternative to traditional DR. But like most things in IT, that may not be true for every organization.  Continue Reading

• Use business continuity to boost your corporate governance process

  Business continuity planning can round out a corporate governance plan by identifying potential areas of failure and how to survive them.  Continue Reading

• Speed Hyper-V replication process by seeding replica VM

  Hyper-V replication lets IT create secondary, offline virtual machines that can be used to recover operations following an outage of the primary VM.  Continue Reading

• Your business continuity process can enhance strategic planning

  Here are five ways business continuity activities can identify situations that might prevent your firm from achieving its goals.  Continue Reading

• Top three tips for selecting a disaster recovery as a service provider

  Considering DRaaS to support your mission-critical systems? Expert Paul Kirvan shows you the pitfalls to avoid.  Continue Reading

• Are you getting data movement for disaster recovery wrong?

  George Crump discusses best practices for data movement, including the most effective methods for small companies, SMBs and larger enterprises.  Continue Reading

• The importance of distance in the disaster recovery planning process

  George Crump discusses the role distance plays in the disaster recovery planning process and the tools that make replication over long distances easier than before.  Continue Reading

• Virtualization makes DR in the cloud an attractive option, but caution is advised

  Eric Slack details what you should know about your cloud provider's infrastructure before deploying DR in the cloud.  Continue Reading

• How to use FINRA Rule 4370 for business continuity management

  If you're not familiar with FINRA Rule 4370, Paul Kirvan explains why you should know about this emergency preparedness rule for firms in the financial sector.  Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery software, server virtualization ease DR testing

  Eric Slack discusses DR testing today and the technologies that are improving users' ability to conduct regular, effective DR tests.  Continue Reading

• Prepare an after-action report for disaster recovery

  Paul Kirvan discusses the importance of creating an after-action report following a disaster recovery exercise and offers tips on creating the report.  Continue Reading

• Enhance your DR plan with the national cybersecurity framework

  Paul Kirvan explains how the national cybersecurity framework can help enhance your DR plan.  Continue Reading

• Create an employee succession plan for disaster recovery

  Creating an employee succession plan that addresses disaster recovery is not the same as a typical succession plan, as Paul Kirvan explains in this tip.  Continue Reading

• DR as a service scales 'big company' DR down to size

  Learn how cloud and virtualization enable DR as a service, which makes effective disaster recovery realistic for smaller companies.  Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery simplified through DR management software

  Independent disaster recovery expert Paul Kirvan discusses advancements in cloud disaster recovery and DR management software that are simplifying IT DR today.  Continue Reading

• Evaluate alternative work space for business continuity

  Paul Kirvan shares checklists that you can use to evaluate prospective office and/or operational alternative work space for short- or long-term use.  Continue Reading

• Integrate cybersecurity practices into a business continuity program

  Paul Kirvan explains why your business continuity program must mesh with your information security and corporate cybersecurity strategies.  Continue Reading

• Look closer at the granularity, flexibility of hypervisor replication

  Increasingly, storage services are moving to the hypervisor. One of the storage services that stands to gain the most is hypervisor replication.  Continue Reading

• Preparing for an audit using ISO 22301

  Paul Kirvan recommends using ISO 22301 for a baseline audit of your business continuity program in this tip.  Continue Reading

• Business continuity and disaster recovery policy statement templates

  Paul Kirvan explains why you need a program for developing a business continuity (BC) and disaster recovery policy in this tip.  Continue Reading

• Prepare for a data center resilience assessment

  Your data center must be resilient to threats like hurricanes and tornadoes. Paul Kirvan offers tips to conduct a data center resilience assessment.  Continue Reading

• Defining BC/DR strategies and responses

  Paul Kirvan shares tips on how to translate business continuity and disaster recovery strategies into specific action steps.  Continue Reading

• Creating disaster recovery testing scenarios

  This collection of articles from independent DR expert Paul Kirvan offers advice on creating disaster recovery testing scenarios.  Continue Reading

• Developing business scenarios for BC/DR exercise planning

  Begin developing effective business scenarios in your BC/DR exercise planning by first understanding your own business and how it works.  Continue Reading

• Preparing natural-disaster scenarios for BC/DR exercise planning

  Incorporate natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes into your BC/DR exercise planning by focusing on events outside your control.  Continue Reading

• Building staff-related disaster scenarios for BC/DR exercise planning

  Develop effective staff-related disaster scenarios in your BC/DR exercise planning by focusing on the sudden loss of more than one key person.  Continue Reading

• Developing technology scenarios for BC/DR exercise planning

  The most effective BC/DR exercise plans begin with choosing disaster scenarios for technology issues, particularly IT-focused ones.  Continue Reading

• Choosing an operational scenario for BC/DR exercise planning

  Effective BC/DR exercise planning begins with developing disaster scenarios for operational situations by focusing on process-related situations.  Continue Reading

• Building an incident response plan

  Learn how incident response plans offer a starting point for responding to a situation and then deciding how to proceed in this tip from Paul Kirvan.  Continue Reading

• Defining, reviewing and updating your organization's BC/DR policy

  Independent disaster recovery expert Paul Kirvan outlines what you need to know about keeping your BC/DR policy up to date.  Continue Reading

• The importance of cloud recovery testing

  Brien Posey explains why it is extremely important to perform cloud recovery testing that simulates a real recovery following a catastrophe.  Continue Reading

• ISO 22301 compliance: Focus on training teams and defining roles

  ISO 22301 underscores the importance of teams, particularly defining roles of team members, training them and ensuring their competence.  Continue Reading