In the data backup world, many confuse disaster recovery and business continuity. Where data protection is concerned, it is important to understand the differences between the concepts. In an IT disaster, few people are concerned with definitions; but knowing the difference can help customers get through disasters relatively unscathed.
The Difference Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Business continuity is a broad concept, and disaster recovery is just a small subset. An IT Disaster Recovery Service is the process of storing data, so it’s recoverable when a disaster happens. An IT calamity can range from a minor loss to the destruction of a large data center, but the pressure and panic can be similar no matter the size of the loss.
Secondary Sites
The root of a successful disaster recovery is that the data must be stored in a secondary location, and the plan involves the recovery of the data so a business can function as normal. Data isn’t accessible as a disaster happens; it must be recovered first, and the speed with which it happens depends on the infrastructure, planning and processes that a company uses.
IT and Business Continuity
Business continuity is the planning, management and oversight involved in keeping a company’s IT department functioning during a disaster. The elements of business continuity include location, staff and equipment, as well as the procedures used to recover data.
Continuity is not data-focused, it is focused on the business. The idea behind business continuity is to allow a company to continue to operate during a disaster, with little or no downtime. Business continuity combines software and hardware to store data in two locations at the same time.
IT Disaster Recovery Service may be the main issue an IT manager faces, but it’s not the only issue. To successfully recover data, IT staff must understand what to look for and how to get the data back. During IT disaster recovery planning, staff will encounter questions of business continuity. The more outdated a recovery plan is, the higher the chance of failure during a disaster. By calling Grace Computers and having a solid plan in place, businesses can continue post-disaster operations with minimal interruption to customers.
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