Unplanned accidents are part of an organization and business. An uninvited disaster can disturb your entire business. This is where a strong disaster recovery plan comes into the picture. Robust disaster recovery planning will help your business to get back on track after an incident. Yet, planning a disaster recovery isn’t an easy feat.
A host of options available in the market can make a person feel overwhelmed, but recent worldly events have certainly taught us that disasters often don’t come with warning. Thus, it’s better to plan to make sure your business can avoid potential damages. Having a comprehensive data backup and disaster recovery plan isn’t enough, meaning you must consider updating it regularly.
Signs to Look Out For
There are many details you can look for that may indicate it’s time to update your dental practice’s data backup and disaster recovery plan. Our experts have compiled a few of the most prevalent, which we will explore further below.
Aging Servers
When your business servers become old, they are the sure-shot sign you need to consider an update. Aging servers become weak with time, and can result in the data collapse of an organization. However, replacing them isn’t always as easy as it may seem. Server replacement involves:
- Money
- Time
- Effort
While replacing your server will expend resources momentarily, it will also help you to enhance business productivity. It’s likely you will also notice a drop in expenses that were previously related to old server crashes. If you’re interested in getting a professional opinion in identifying specific issues with your current server, contact a reputable and reliable IT support company. Speaking with an expert will help you streamline an effective approach to reducing the risk of unwanted disaster.
Lack of Monthly Testing
Having a data backup and disaster recovery plan is a significant step, but in order to keep it functioning as it should, regular monthly testing is crucial. Frequent testing will ensure that you are aware of any weaknesses, and allows you to correct them to make your plan more effective and robust. Regular testing offers a variety of benefits:
- Increases ability to revise and update your plan
- Allows you to remove inevitable mistakes and errors
- Encourages you to update your system to avoid the impact of disaster
Excessive Reliance on On-Prem Backup
When your business undergoes a natural disaster, power outage, or equipment failure, your stored backup files can be affected. Ransomware is another threat to your stored files as it makes them encrypted, and can impact on-site backup files resulting in unwanted deletion. You must update your data backup and disaster recovery plan to make sure your data is secure at all times.
You Follow Many Data Recovery Tools
Incorporating a variety of data recovery tools can result in a lagging recovery plan. A weak recovery plan increases the potential for discrepancies thus resulting in unwanted data loss. An easy way to resolve the use of multiple data recovery tools is by joining the disconnected systems. Opting for such a strategy not only helps you streamline the process, but mitigates the risk factors associated with it.
Large RTO & RPO Windows
Significant recovery point and recovery time objective windows are essential signs as each indicates that you need to update data backup and disaster recovery plans. In case you’re unfamiliar with the two objectives, let’s have a look at their simple definition:
- Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs): The amount of data your business can stand to lose.
- Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs): The time between the start and finish of a recovery plan.
Reducing these objectives means you’re enhancing productivity, reducing costs, and lessening downtime. One of the best ways to reduce RPO and RTO is by enhancing your practice’s backup frequency and replication.
Importance of Having a Strong Disaster Recovery Plan
Now that you have a deeper understanding of the signs that state your practice may need a disaster recovery plan update, it’s crucial that you complete regular assessments. One of the best data backup strategies you can follow is the 3-2-1 backup plan, meaning three copies of the data sets must be created. Out of the three copies, make sure you store two in local devices, and one in the offline storage space. Let’s have a look at why a robust disaster recovery plan is beneficial:
- Saves your business from natural and man-made disasters
- Easy and quick identification of unwanted incidents and events
- Boosts employee productivity
- Eliminate superfluous hardware and associated risks
- Maintains the quality of your customer service
- Helps you be on track promptly after an incident
Get Ready to Step Ahead With a Disaster Discovery Plan
With a robust and best data backup and disaster recovery plan, you can make your business more profitable and resilient. Regularly updating your data backup and disaster recovery plan is by far one of the best ways to streamline your dental practice’s IT structure. Having an industry-leading company on your side will ensure that your sensitive data is safe from forthcoming hazards. Contact the team at Erickson Dental Technologies today to learn about the best data backup strategies.
