Let's say you took our advice and built your business continuity plan last year. We are proud of you!
But … when is the last time you tested that plan and the associated backup and data recovery technology? Research shows most businesses only test their plan once a year – and many never test it at all. While most organizations test data backup and restoration IT tools more often, those efforts still lag. That is likely why so many organizational leaders list backup and recovery capabilities on their list of things that keep them up at night. In fact, a recent Unitrends report reveals that among business leaders:
While we can all agree that crafting a seamless business continuity plan is the first step toward alleviating these concerns, the battle doesn't stop there. Backup and disaster recovery is not a "set it and forget it" issue. Regularly testing backup processes and data recovery validation is critical to maintaining data integrity and ensuring recovery readiness in the event of any type of disruption or disaster.
However, in the Unitrends survey, only 15% of respondents said their organizations conduct backup tests daily. Around 25% test weekly, and 24% test monthly, suggesting that most businesses operate with a level of risk that could jeopardize recovery in the event of a disaster. While 60% believed they could recover in less than a day, in reality, only 35% of businesses can and do.
While crafting a comprehensive business continuity plan is key for successful recovery from a business IT disruption, if your data backup processes and recovery systems don't work, nothing else really matters. The reasons for testing your data backup and restoration technology are many—in the real world, even the best technology fails. It could be a corrupted backup, wrong data priorities, incompatible systems, a gap in accessibility – the list is long. But the only way you uncover these issues is to validate your process and tools regularly. We don't need to tell you that most disruption comes with no warning, and therefore no time to test before disaster strikes.
Additionally, for businesses governed by regulatory standards or those with cyber insurance, proof of ongoing backup testing and disaster recovery validation is mandatory. Protecting sensitive information isn't limited to active files; so proving your backup of data works, is secure, and that information can be readily recovered if needed is a foundational part of compliance.
Lastly, never lose sight of the many types of disruption you should plan for. Businesses in Los Angeles can't overlook the impact of an earthquake while those on the East Coast have to consider hurricanes, and our friends in the mountains, such as Denver and its suburbs, have to think through snow and ice and the many issues caused by winter storms.
By conducting IT continuity testing, your team practices and verifies that the business continuity plan, and its supporting technologies, can meet your recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO) for all types of scenarios—from hardware failure to natural disasters. In other words, your operations will be up and running the way you want on the timeline you desire, regardless of the reason behind the disruption.
Testing your IT business continuity plan as your business expands, your team changes, or your data retention policies evolve is table stakes—you should review that plan with your team at least once a year, and any time your organization undergoes any of these changes. Testing your backup and data recovery tools should happen much more frequently because of all the opportunities for gaps, failures, and missed elements. Because your BDR tools integrate with nearly every aspect of your IT environment, any change to recovery tactics, human resources, operating software, or IT infrastructure should trigger a full test.
Frequent testing is important because when backups fail or are missed, it can be difficult to know. A majority of respondents in the Unitrends study (65%) use email alerts or automatic ticketing systems to identify missed backups. However, 19% don't receive notifications unless the backups fail completely; 10% wouldn't be informed at all, and another 6% don't employ any mechanisms to monitor missed backups.
There are several aspects to testing for business continuity, from tabletop simulations to real-life simulations of your entire plan to more targeted testing for specific technologies leveraged as part of that comprehensive plan. Some testing scenarios to consider:
Other best practices include prioritizing consistency over complexity (sometimes the simplest answer is the best one); monitoring backups proactively and using automation to validate backup success where possible; and reviewing policies and procedures regularly—from access control to data retention plans. Lastly, don't overlook the need for cybersecurity that protects data in motion during backup and recovery processes and where it is stored, both during regular operations but also in case of emergency disruptions.
The bottom line: A recovery plan untested is a recovery plan untrusted.
Beyond providing expert guidance for policies and planning, your MSP can support effective business continuity in many other ways. At Exigent, we start with managed IT services as the solid foundation—including proactive monitoring that can identify issues early on. We also evaluate your business continuity stance as part of our onboarding process, and it quickly becomes an element of your IT network roadmapping process to ensure you have the right tools and processes in place to protect your business, including multiple options for the technology tools needed for backup and recovery.
To learn more, contact Exigent today.
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