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Nowadays, having a Disaster Recovery Plan is an essential requirement for the continuity of services provided by companies operating in digital environments.
Ultimately, failures and vulnerabilities can occur for various reasons, whether due to natural causes or human actions. Furthermore, with the advancement of technology and digital transformation, the threat of cybercrime is becoming increasingly significant and present in the reality of various businesses. It is no coincidence that Brazil holds the record for attacks of this nature against companies in different sectors.
In 2021, for example, Brazil was the 5th country in the world most affected by cybercrimes . In the first quarter alone, there were more than 9 million incidents, which is more than the entire year of 2020, according to the German consultancy Roland Berger .
Thus, by presenting its benefits and importance in the face of the various potential attacks and complications that companies are subject to in the virtual world, the objective of this content is to provide more information about the Disaster Recovery Plan and how it can help you.
Enjoy your reading!
What is a Disaster Recovery Plan?
Disaster Recovery Plan (also known by its English ending, Disaster Recovery Plan) means disaster repair and its translation is Disaster Recovery Plan.
Thus, as the name itself suggests, it refers to techniques and measures that companies can use in order to minimize the impacts of a cyberattack , for example, but not only that.
It also applies to any problem that could put the system at risk, harming the organization's productivity.
Examples of this situation include power outages, strong electrical discharges, human error, and system failures. In other words, it's not just about cyberattacks, but also about other situations that all companies experience at some point.
Thus, a Disaster Recovery Plan is a plan that aims to ensure the continuity of IT infrastructure after an incident of any kind.
After all, if every problem that occurred caused your company's services to be paralyzed for hours (sometimes even days), the losses would be enormous.
Why does your IT department need an action plan?
Digital or physical IT infrastructure can be subject to unforeseen events, whether due to human action or external factors, as explained previously.
In this scenario, a Disaster Recovery Plan acts as a set of actions that can minimize the negative impacts caused by incidents on the organization's results, as well as recover internal and customer data, mitigating financial losses and damage to your brand's reputation.
Here are the main challenges that IT infrastructure is subject to:
1- Cyberattacks
Brazilian companies are among the main targets of cyberattacks, primarily via phishing, ransomware, and theft of personal data. In 2020 alone, there were more than 80 million attempts.
According to SonicWall , of the 304 million ransomware attacks carried out in the first half of 2021, 9.1 million of them were in Brazil alone.
In the corporate world, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the ones that suffer attacks most frequently, mainly due to a lack of resources or information to invest in cybersecurity. After all, hackers know about the combination of negligence and lack of training and use it to their advantage.
If you want to go further, be sure to check out the reading: Cybersecurity Trends for 2022
2- Equipment failures
If a company uses local data centers to store its IT infrastructure, it runs the risk of losing some or all of its data due to a power surge, for example.
Obsolescence can lead to breakage and jamming of internal equipment parts; cables can wear out, for example, and compromise the entire structure if there is no constant and preventive maintenance.
In other words, any physical data center is a potential risk of harm to organizations and therefore requires extra care.
3- Human error
Human intervention is also one of the main causes of failures in IT infrastructure, whether it's operating the system or machine incorrectly, or even spilling water on the equipment, causing an accident with irreparable losses.
Furthermore, human error can be the gateway to cyberattacks, as discussed in topic 1. After all, clicking on a link in an email that appeared to be secure is often one of the most common mistakes and is the gateway to ransomware attacks .
4- Power outage
If there is no generator or proper grounding at the company, a simple power outage can take down the company's system for hours and make it difficult to fully restore it.
Companies located in cities that suffer from flooding and, consequently, power outages, urgently need a Disaster Recovery Plan, because if their services have to be paralyzed with each problem, they will certainly lose not only sales but also credibility.
5- Natural disaster
There is also the possibility that a strong energy discharge caused by lightning could make the continuity of the IT infrastructure unfeasible, or heavy rains could damage external equipment or the wiring to which the local data center infrastructure is connected.
In this way, all the previous problems end up connecting as a consequence of the lack of a Disaster Recovery Plan.
How to develop a disaster recovery plan?
To prevent the aforementioned problems from harming organizations, we can adopt certain strategies in the Disaster Recovery Plan for this purpose.
Below is a list of good practices that can be considered:
#1 Be aware of the existing threats
Identify the types of disasters to which your company, and the IT sector in particular, are most susceptible. Does it rain a lot in the city? Are they torrential downpours with frequent lightning strikes? This is a concern to keep in mind. Also, assess the quality of the power supply. Are there frequent power outages or fluctuations?
It's important to remember that some disasters, such as fires and human error, are location-independent, as are cybercrimes. Therefore, it's necessary to consider all events that could threaten IT continuity, measuring the negative impact of each one on the routine and productivity of the sector and the company as a whole.
#2 Identify the company's loss capacity
This capacity can be calculated using two indicators: (1) the recovery point (RPO) and (2) the recovery time (RTO).
The first factor relates to the amount of information your system or application can withstand losing before the recovery plan is triggered. In this case, the higher the value, the more tolerant the system is. If the result is below this, it is essential to perform backups more frequently , preferably in the cloud.
The second indicator , in turn, concerns the recovery response time, that is, how long it takes for the recovery to be completed. Here, the shorter the time, the better for the business.
Without measuring these two indicators, it is impossible to carry out disaster recovery efficiently.
#3 Develop Recovery Strategies
By mapping the main threats that could put your business at risk, build recovery strategies that directly answer the question: what to do when a disaster of this nature occurs? Each will have a greater or lesser impact, depending on the team's preparedness to minimize its effects.
Therefore, it is extremely important that the team is knowledgeable and trained to implement the developed strategies. It is also necessary to consider whether the team is sufficient to achieve the goals of the Disaster Recovery Plan, as well as to assess whether the company has the infrastructure to reach the plan's objectives.
For example, assessing whether there is sufficient backup infrastructure and bandwidth.
Some solutions that can help in this regard are:
Backup Infrastructure
Having or increasing backup infrastructure is necessary for a disaster recovery plan to be effective.
In this case, backups should be performed regularly. This way, if a disaster occurs, the company will have copies of the files, allowing it to restore its IT infrastructure more quickly.
Cloud computing
Cloud computing is now a powerful ally in IT management. Due to its online infrastructure and decentralized servers, the cloud protects data from any type of disaster.
Furthermore, in specific cases of cyberattacks, cloud providers employ a rigorous, multi-layered security system, ranging from antivirus programs to encrypted access.
EDR Solutions
EDR solutions specifically target IT endpoints, meaning computers, tablets, and smartphones connected to IT systems and applications.
If your company already works with cloud , then it means that access to the system is done from various machines, inside and outside the office, which, while making work more flexible and increasing productivity, also increases the risks of theft and intrusion.
That's why endpoint solutions are essential, as they track access and are able to identify the source of the intrusion, eliminating or minimizing the impact of the threat without disrupting the IT infrastructure.
#4 Integration between departments
In addition to training the IT team, it is essential to also integrate with other sectors, such as logistics and finance, since these are areas that generate important data for the company.
These departments also need to be aware of the disaster recovery plan and know how to implement it if necessary.
#5 Test the plan
Just as important as developing the plan is testing it, since it's necessary to ensure that the set of strategies is the most appropriate for each type of threat the company may face.
Testing, including with the team, is necessary to measure recovery time and the level of learning each employee has achieved with the strategy. Testing allows you to identify weaknesses and strengths, making necessary adjustments before a real disaster occurs.
Disaster Recovery Plan: It's time to take safety into account
We have seen that disaster recovery is now an essential resource for any company that uses digital technology as part of its assets.
Therefore, it is essential to invest in an infrastructure that is adequate for the volume of data, as well as in resources that can guarantee data security and recovery in minimal time to maintain the continuity of the IT infrastructure. Otherwise, not only IT, but other sectors as well, may be offline indefinitely.
There is still a risk that the company could be punished by the ANPD (National Data Protection Authority), receive fines, and even have its services suspended, especially in cases of intrusions.
As benefits, a good disaster recovery plan, using effective digital solutions such as EDR, contributes to cost savings, maintaining the company's good reputation, greater security for data and information, ensuring the continuity of the IT infrastructure and, consequently, maintaining productivity.
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