Top disaster recovery things

We typically must apply the technology to fit rigid parameters — such as less cost or functionality — instead of being able to do it right.

10 disaster recovery wish items

#1: The network is transparent

#2: The storage is transparent

#3: Everything starts with DR in mind

#4: All areas of IT meet the same requirements

#5: Disaster recovery is performed in a few steps

#6: Documentation for failover to the DR site is clear and simple

#7: All data recovery is native

#8: Performance in the DR model isn’t compromised

#9: The user experience in the change-over is nothing more than a reboot (if that)

#10: All things are possible for the small environment, too

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Top Ten Disaster Recovery Tips

1. Store your system passwords in at least two separate secure locations.

2. Document, document, document! Make sure that the whole recovery process to get you up and running again is documented, and includes the locations of system recovery and other critical discs.

3. Establish an automated system to notify critical staff of disaster by text. These staff should be thoroughly trained so that they can perform basic disaster recovery/back-up tasks unsupervised.

4. Practice your disaster recovery plan on a quarterly basis or more.

5. No matter how good your disaster recovery plan, it cannot recover data if you neglect to back it up.

6. Arrange to have spare hot hard disk drives already in the system, or at least physically available in the same room as your storage system.

7.A tape archive strategy is crucial. Tapes used on a daily basis should be replaced every six to nine months to avoid deterioration - backups are no use if they cannot be recovered.

8. Get yourself the best, longest-life, most uninterruptible power supply you can.

9. Don't neglect to protect yourself from random theft, vandalism and employee malice, they can be just as disastrous as anything else.

10. An automatically closing fire door to the data/server room will keep fire and smoke out of the room for a surprisingly long time.

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