| The Hurricane Katrina Disaster has lessons for all | | | | you run your business off a computer or even a |
| business owners. Now is a Good time to look over | | | | server then an offsite back-up of key customer and |
| your Disaster recovery plan and see if it would survive | | | | vendor data is a minimal requirement for a good |
| a Hurricane Katrina Type Disaster. You may be | | | | Disaster Recovery Plan.At one time My own personal |
| surprised how easy and cheap it is to have a Disaster | | | | Disaster Recovery Plan consisted of placing a tape |
| Recovery Plan that will protect your business from all | | | | back-up weekly in a safe deposit box in a bank a few |
| types of Disasters from simple theft to a Hurricane | | | | miles from my home based business location. If the |
| Katrina Like Disaster.As a small business paying for 3 | | | | Area of my home had suffered a Hurricane Katrina |
| backup data centers might be more like taking a | | | | like Disaster even if the bank and the contents of that |
| Ferrari to a bicycle race. For many small businesses | | | | safe deposit box survived the Disaster that backup |
| the key is to have critical data ready and available as | | | | may not be available to me for weeks or months. |
| soon after a disaster strikes as possible. If you run | | | | Clearly a delay of weeks or months could mean the |
| your business off a computer or even a server then | | | | end of my business.Keeping Data in an Off Site Local |
| an offsite back-up of key customer and vendor data | | | | location is still a good idea so you can have fast |
| is a minimal requirement for a good Disaster Recovery | | | | access to your data and recover from small disasters |
| Plan.Most of your Major Fortune 1000 Companies | | | | like fire or theft that only effect your location. Clearly in |
| have extensive off site back up plans. A company | | | | light of what we learned from Katrina you may want |
| based in St Louis for example may contract with 2 or | | | | to mail a DVD backup to a trusted friend or relative in |
| 3 companies around the country to provide essential | | | | another part of the country. A 2nd solution you may |
| computer services in case a Disaster occurs in St. | | | | want to consider is a service that backs up your |
| Louis that makes it impossible for their Data Centers | | | | computer daily via the Internet. Clearly you would want |
| to continue to function in St Louis.Major Companies in | | | | to make sure the provider you choose for this service |
| St Louis may have backups in 2 or 3 remote sites like | | | | is not lo acted across town.A lesson to learn from |
| Chicago, New Jersey and Arizona. These Sites are | | | | Hurricane Katrina is that 1 or even 2 back-up plans |
| located in different directions and distances from St | | | | may not be enough. You need to judge how valuable |
| Louis. Once a year this company may send key Data | | | | your business is to you and possibly mail a DVD to |
| Center employees to these location to test the back | | | | one or more trusted associates in remote off site lo |
| up plan.As a small business paying for 3 backup data | | | | actions and still maintain a local and Internet back ups |
| centers and running annual test might be more like | | | | as well.While you may not be able to fly cross country |
| taking a Ferrari to a bicycle race. For many small | | | | for a week to test your back up plan, you could test |
| businesses the key is to have critical data ready and | | | | your back-ups by trying load them on a 'clean' |
| available as soon after a disaster strikes as possible. If | | | | computer. |