Xcentric IT = Disaster Recovery Strategies

Disaster Recovery = Strategies-Where to=20 Begin? By=20 Robert Frazier, Xcentric Group (January 20, 2006) As the most=20 devastating hurricane season on record comes to an end, we move = into a new=20 season - one of snow and ice with power outages and broken = overhead water=20 pipes. Next up? Spring flooding and tornados. After=20 that? The forecast for 2006 hurricane season doesn=92t look = very good=20 (usatoday.com). =20 And, we focus mostly on the acts of God. Man also has a hand in = all kinds=20 of disasters like theft, fire and sabotage. Recovering from = disaster can=20 be the defining moment for a business. Disaster=20 Recovery (DR) is nothing new to the industry. DR has been on the = AICPA Top=20 Technologies list for seven years and has been a major topic of = discussion=20 in countless industry and technology forums. However, CPA = firms have=20 still not embraced DR as a critical requirement and have no = working plan=20 for recovery in their business continuity strategy. DR is=20 strategic, but firms often approach DR strictly from the = technology side.=20 Partners initiate projects in a similar light as buying any other=20 technology. Firm administrators and IT personnel often call to ask = for=20 direction to implement =93some=94 measures to insure their systems = will=20 survive a disaster without understanding what the strategic = mission looks=20 like. They want to know where to start and how to justify = the cost=20 to senior management with no end goal defined. To that end,=20 this article hopes to help your firm establish a good starting = point and=20 introduce strategies and technologies to consider in the DR = planning=20 process. Where to=20 start? The starting point is a = Business Impact=20 Analysis (The = CPA=20 Journal). Senior management must assess potential = threats and=20 quantify the risks if disaster were to strike. It is not as = simple=20 as calculating billable hours lost. And, while it may be possible = to =93make=20 up=94 work, receive extensions from traditional and regulatory = deadlines, or=20 to gain other forms of relief due to a natural disaster, your = clients are=20 still counting on you to meet payroll on Friday or deliver = financial=20 reports to a banker or potential buyer tomorrow. Considerations should be discussed at length to determine = the=20 business risk, budget appropriately, and define key parameters = such as the=20 mission-critical applications, as well, as: Recovery Point = Objective=20 (RPO) - acceptable data loss (last acceptable backup)=20 Recovery Time = Objective=20 (RTO) =96 downtime allowed before application is = available Only after IT has this information can they research and = plan an=20 adequate technology solution. IT Strategies With a solid perspective on the = impact that=20 different disasters might have on the business as well as a tight=20 definition on priority for recovery, the firm can more readily = evaluate=20 the various strategies and technologies that are available. = The=20 following is a = sample range=20 of IT strategies: Tape=20 Backup with = offsite=20 storage can be an effective strategy for some=20 businesses. o =20 RPO - 24 hours or last available backup o =20 RTO - weeks or more unless some applications, hardware, = facilities,=20 and staff are available o =20 Cost =96 Plan development/maintenance. = Arrangement/retainer for=20 facility & IT support o =20 Advantage: Least expensive to = maintain o =20 Disadvantage: Can prove most costly to = execute. Many=20 potential barriers to successful recovery, such as, ability to = access=20 tapes and/or transport to alternate site, tape failure,=20 etc. Disaster = Avoidance is the = other end of=20 the spectrum from Tape Backup. It utilizes a remote site = with fully=20 redundant systems and data. Your infrastructure is duplicated in a = physically separate location with data synchronization in real = time.=20 o =20 RPO - zero to minutes. o =20 RTO - zero to seconds for automatic failover or slightly = longer for=20 manual failover. o =20 Cost - Plan development and maintenance plus cost of = 2^nd=20 facility and replication circuits, equipment, facilities, staff, = etc. plus=20 additional staff to maintain both environments. o =20 Advantages =96 Greatest potential for survival. = Necessary for=20 life support, highly transactional systems (online),=20 etc. o =20 Disadvantage - complex and costly Hybrid-1 = replicates=20 mission-critical data to a storage system in a remote facility and = requires installation of some applications following = disaster. The=20 primary goal is to make mission-critical applications available to = targeted employees immediately following a = disaster. o =20 RPO - minutes to hours for mission-critical=20 data o =20 RTO - hours to days for mission-critical=20 applications o =20 Cost =96 In between first two strategies plus IT staffing = and Warm=20 Site costs o =20 Advantage =96 Economical approach with greater control = for firms with=20 large IT staffs o =20 Disadvantage =96 requires IT staff with DR and advanced = networking=20 expertise Hybrid-2 = utilizes a remote=20 facility as the primary data center and replicates data back to = the firm=92s=20 office (or other facility), near the IT staff or local integrator. = This=20 answers the concern of IT staffing availability following a=20 disaster. o =20 RPO - minutes to hours for mission-critical=20 data o =20 RTO - hours to days for mission-critical applications and = data o =20 Cost =96 In between the first two = strategies o =20 Advantage =96 cost, redundancy and personnel access that = is just not=20 available or cost effective for most firms o =20 Disadvantage =96 can reduce control and flexibility that = the largest=20 firms may want. While = Hybrid-2 may=20 be a drastic departure from traditional network design, = co-location is=20 gaining in popularity because it addresses the high risk (and = cost)=20 associated with data center facilities (air, power, fire, = etc.). =20 Additionally, combined with =93managed services=94 this may offer = the most=20 solid and cost effective approach to a total network design with = Disaster=20 Recovery. For any = of the=20 strategies listed above, a major consideration that will = significantly=20 impact effectiveness and cost is the =93level of operational = readiness=94 of=20 the alternate facility. Make certain that your chosen provider is = capable=20 of handling the load placed upon him when disaster strikes. If = they serve=20 50 businesses in the area, when would you be up? Get=20 Started Disaster Recovery is critical = to any=20 business=92 success, especially in today=92s age. We should be = careful not to=20 look at DR as a technology in competition for our IT dollars. If = we do, DR=20 will continue to get pushed to the bottom. More =93spotlighted=94 = technologies=20 like Intranets, Document Management, life-cycle replacements, = wireless and=20 remote access will win. These projects offer =93Return on = Investments=94 or=20 serve as =93enablers=94 for efficiency and improved client = service, and we all=20 tend to naturally gravitate in that direction. DR must be=20 seen as an additional investment required to insure survivability = of the=20 firm. DR helps to mitigate the risk due to interruption of the = business.=20 It is an important business requirement, and executive management = must=20 lead and provide direction before IT can develop a = strategy. Sit down with=20 your partners. Spend time contemplating different scenarios and = the impact=20 on the business if each scenario were to occur. If you get a = sinking=20 feeling in your stomach, perhaps you will want to take a next step = and=20 formally plan for recovery in the event of a disaster. It might = prove to=20 be the single most important decision you make as a = business. Web=20 Resources Disaster = Reovery=20 Journal Business Continuity=20 Glossary The = CPA=20 Journal Planning for Disaster = Disaster Recovery=20 Journal Samples for developing a=20 Plan The = Hartford Why do you need a Disaster = Recovery=20 Plan? Veritas = =20 The Technology of Disaster Recovery Searchsttorage =20 New Backup Strategies Computer Technology=20 Review The Difference between Snapshop and = CDP Robert Frazier is a Business = Development=20 Manager at Xcentric, LLC, a = technology consulting group that provides =93Certified Networks = for=20 CPAs=94. With offices in Oklahoma, Alabama, and = headquarters in=20 Atlanta, Georgia, Xcentric specializes in the accounting industry. = You can=20 reach this author or any member of Xcentric by calling = 866-XCENTRIC or via=20 email at info@xcentricgroup.com. We=92re=20 online at http://www.xcentricgroup.com/<= /SPAN>. <Back to = Home=20 Page =20 ^Back to Vision Alert=20 Index =A9 2005=20 InfoTech Partners North America, Inc....your technology = partner =20 (480)=20 706-1728		InfoTech = Partners North=20 America, Inc. 13656 South 37th Place Phoenix, AZ=20 85044-4531 Phone: (480) 706-1728 Fax/Voicemail: (480)=20 718-8880 Email: roman@itpna.com Web Site:=20 www.itpna.com


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