Should You Outsource Disaster Recovery Planning? 

 Disaster recovery planning (DRP) is the process of creating and maintaining a plan for how to recover from a disaster. It focuses on fixing information technology (IT) infrastructure and restoring data access after a natural or manufactured disaster.  

Organizations must ensure that they can continue operating safely after an emergency. Doing so helps minimize the impact on the business, the customers, and employees by implementing the steps indicated in the disaster recovery plan.    

In this article, you’ll know why disaster recovery planning is essential for businesses–and what steps you can take now to get your business up and running in no time following operational disruptions.  

What Is Disaster Recovery Planning? 

Disaster recovery planning helps you to prepare for and recover from disasters. This vital business process can be done internally or with the help of IT professionals. Businesses can hire the best managed IT in Portland OR, and similar providers in your area for the best protection.   

Below are the primary steps involved in this essential business activity:   

• Risk Assessment   

This step identifies your business’s risks, such as natural disasters or manufactured incidents, including cyberattacks and data breaches. You’ll also want to determine the likelihood of each risk occurring, how severe it would be if it did happen, and what steps you could take now to reduce its impact on your organization if it did occur. 

• Business Impact Analysis (BIA) 

A BIA helps determine which systems are critical for day-to-day operations, known as ‘mission critical’ systems because they’re necessary for completing essential organizational tasks. The BIA also outlines how long each mission-critical system can go without working before its absence will affect productivity or revenue generation at an unacceptable level. This timeframe is known as ‘maximum tolerable downtime.’ 

• Disaster Recovery Strategy   

This section outlines how much time should be allotted between when an incident occurs and when resolved. This timeframe is known as the recovery point objective (RPO). It also includes steps to restore operations after recovering from an outage, such as restoring data backups onto new hardware or replacing damaged equipment with new versions. 

The Benefits Of Outsourcing Disaster Recovery Planning 

While you must pay upfront and recurring costs when outsourcing, you can save time and money in the long run.  

• Allows For Faster Restoration Times 

It can take from several days to weeks for organizations to recover from major business disruptions. And, as any business owner knows, time is money. With a disaster recovery plan, however, downtimes are reduced drastically.    

• Minimizes Losses  

Based on data from the Emergency Event Database (EM-DAT), economic losses from global disasters reached USD$ 223.8 billion in 2022. Business losses aren’t limited to physical property destruction. It can likewise include lost enterprise data and missing income due to temporary closure. 

• Access To Expert Services  

Besides being cost-effective, outsourcing lets businesses access expert services that may not be available in-house. IT recovery and planning experts follow stringent processes and best practices to provide the best security for current and emerging threats.    

• Scalability  

Organizations are assured that the plan is suited to their needs and requirements. But more than customization, scalability is likewise a key benefit when outsourcing. It enables organizations to grow their business without hiring additional staff or buying new equipment.  

• Boosting Brand Reputation 

Outsourcing disaster recovery planning helps businesses stay resilient. As such, they can reopen after unexpected incidents quickly. Consumers develop a positive impression and trust in the brand when this happens.    

In addition, outsourcing allows companies with limited resources to focus on their core competencies while ensuring their data is protected against disasters.  

  The Challenges Of Outsourcing Disaster Recovery Planning 

While it’s true that outsourcing your disaster recovery planning can help you save time and money, there are also some challenges that you should consider before making the decision. For example: 

• Potential Security Risks   

The security of data stored on the cloud or kept offsite by third parties can be a cause for concern. Hackers have become highly skilled and can break into the highly-secure servers.    

• Lack Of Control   

If something goes wrong with the process, how will you know exactly where things went wrong so you can fix them? Without direct control over every step in the process, things might take longer than necessary to get back on track once they’ve gone awry. 

• Communication Issues   

Everyone involved must understand their roles when responding after an emergency strikes. However, this can be challenging when working with remote teams who don’t share office space or even speak English fluently.  

  When Should You Outsource Disaster Recovery Planning? 

Outsourcing this process works well for organizations that don’t have the resources or expertise to handle it internally. For example, outsourcing the disaster recovery plan may be a good idea if your company is a small startup that just got started and is still growing. This way, when things go wrong, you can focus on growing your business instead of worrying about how to fix them.  

Another scenario where outsourcing disaster recovery planning makes sense is if specialized skills aren’t available within your organization’s workforce. Thus, hiring someone new would cost more than paying for an external consultant. 

Conclusion  

Outsourcing may be worth considering if you need help with your DRP and disaster recovery testing. Outsourcing can provide the expertise and resources required to create an effective DRP that meets your needs while saving time and money.  

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), up to 25% of businesses don’t reopen following a major disaster. Don’t let your enterprise be a statistic.