Security and Disaster Recovery

Security and Disaster Recovery

Your enterprise data, voice, and video network is the central nervous system of your organization. Because it represents a large dollar investment and costs money when it is down, it's important to protect it by planning ahead for recovery from disasters. A key goal of disaster recovery planning is to eliminate or reduce the impact of system outage. Our consultants will work with you on developing a disaster recovery plan that will let you sleep at night. We'll work with your Information Technology group on defining and testing a plan that will work for you.

DISASTER THREATS

Some of the most common threats leading to disasters include the following:

Water

Fire

Lightning

Wind

Earthquakes

Power failure

Equipment and software failure

Accidental or deliberate destruction by people, such as construction damage, war, or sabotage

These are the four critical factors for disaster recovery planning:

Computer Processing Redundancy

This strategy defines alternative ways to perform critical processing. Its focus is on redundancy for critical servers and workstations. For example, if one server goes down a second server with redundant software and data immediately takes over and continues the processing. It requires that you track equipment redundancy and know what is being processed, who is doing the processing, and its criticality. Options for redundant processing include hot sites, cold sites, crate and ship replacement, guaranteed replacement, or vendor replacement.

Backup and Storage Strategies for Data Networks

This strategy outlines plans for the backup and off-site storage of vital electronic data such as databases, application programs, and operating systems. Included in this vital information is a complete inventory of all assets. For example, you need to ask:

What equipment do I own?

When did I buy it or lease it?

Is it under warranty or maintenance?

Where is it located?

Who uses it?

How is it connected to the network?

What software runs on it?

A well designed Asset Management System is ideal for documenting and tracking corporate-wide computing and network assets. We can work with you to develop a solution that will assist in managing all of your technology assets.

Communication Links Recovery Strategy

This strategy defines the recovery plans for communication links over local- and wide-area networks including wireless and microwave. This strategy should also address ways to recover from failures outside of the user environment, as in common carrier provided networks. A key component of the Communication Links Recovery Strategy is loop diversity. Loop diversity is the placing of alternative communication paths and facilities to temporarily replace the main system in case of failure. Varying levels of loop diversity are described in the following table:

Level of Loop Diversity	Circuit Assignment
Count	Circuits are assigned among different binder groups within one cable.
Cable or Sheath	Circuits are assigned among different cables or sheaths.
Route	Circuits are routed along entirely different cable paths to a building.
Backbone	Circuits are assigned among different intra-building backbone cables.

Balancing cost versus risk should be the most critical factor in considering the level of loop diversity and requires close analysis. It is vital that the primary network and alternative paths be documented and the documentation kept up to date.

Develop and Document a Disaster Recovery Plan

One of the most important facets of Disaster Recovery Planning is the development and documentation of the Plan itself. To recover from a disaster, team members must perform multiple tasks. They must have access to the Plan and to critical information pertaining to the computing environment, network infrastructure, and structured wiring. To recover quickly and effectively, the plan must be well defined, documented, coordinated, and controlled.

TIPS FOR DISASTER RECOVERY

By using the following tips you increase the success of developing a successful disaster recovery plan:

Measure and quantify the potential dollar loss to the company of system failures of various durations for every data site in the company, including all computer and telecommunications resources.

Develop a disaster recovery capability that provides for recovery of critical applications within X hours.

Document responsibilities of key recovery personnel in the event of a disaster.

Document minimum acceptable configurations for systems and networks that will provide emergency service levels for X hours, or until normal operations are restored.

Document strategies for the replacement of system functions by manual or automated means for a period of X hours in the event of a disaster.

Develop sufficient alternative vendors or sources of supply for each resource required for system reconstruction in a minimum acceptable configuration in order to result in an acceptable level of risk.

All of these steps involve documenting the network to some degree. Our consultants will work with you to document and manage each resource, its configuration and connectivity for system reconstruction and disaster recovery purposes. Contact us today so we can work with you on improving your Telecommunications Management systems.

Give us a call or send an e-mail today to discuss what we can do for your organization.