Disaster Recovery by Advanced Service Solutions, Inc.

What do we mean by "Disaster Recovery Consulting" and why do you need it?  The answer is simple... to be able to make smart decisions regarding the amount of protection that you need/have for your technology and to be able to have a general idea of what recovery from a catastrophic failure would entail/cost and how long you would be without that technology while the recovery plan is executed.  A DR plan is multi-faceted, written, is a combination of tools and procedures, includes employee policies and procedures, is measurable and provides a reasonable expectation to business owners and/or management as to when restoration of services should be expected.  It should also be reviewed and updated on a minimum of an annual basis in order to minimize availabilities and/or changes which would directly affect the DR plans ability to work and/or alters the expected cost associated with that recovery.

Why do most companies not have a DR Plan?  Unfortunately, the answer is usually that they think it is too expensive, the IT Staff of Service Provider does not offer it,  they don't know that they need it, or they have been mislead into believing that they have some sort of technology in place which negates the need for it.    Worse still, technology staff and service organizations far too often utilize these failures as catalyst to introduce significant upgrades to the environment when urgency overides budgetary considerations and proper due dilegence is circumvented based on immediate need for services restoration.  The other variable that causes many companies to not have a DR plan is that it takes effective management, planning, organization skills, follow through and work to implement and maintain.

Why do some companies have a DR Plan?  Usually, in the past... the answer(s) were that it was needed for an Accredidation, it was needed for some form of Compliance,  An Insurance Company required it, or that they have been through a failure which significantly harmed them previously and they learned that it is something necessary to have the hard way.   The newer answer(s) is that having a DR Plan in place is now a requirement for many Companies in order to enter into Contracts and/or do Business with any companies which are sensitive to Security and/or need to insure your ability to function and deliver.  Often, Business Continuity Plans (See Business Continuity Consulting) are also required in conjunction with the DR Plan.  Most Request for Proposals (RFPS) now contain requirements for both a DR Plan and a Business Continutity Plan as a condition for bidding and both upstream and downstream (Any Individuals and/or Business that you rely on to perform your task or deliver your products) compliance is also mandated.

There is a lot of confusion regarding industry terms and what consitutes having a complete DR Plan and what does not.  A great example of this is that many Hosting Companies and/or IT Staffs consider having a Fault Tolerent Server Solution as meeting the full needs of being a Disaster Recovery Plan.  It does not and leaves the business exposed to numerous other types of failures.  While having Fault Tolerent Server or Hosting Solutions does qualify as a small part of having a DR Plan, it is not a complete package by any way shape or form.  A good DR Plan goes much further than what happens if a single server or group of servers fails and takes into account almost any scenerio whereby services can be interupted.  This could include situations as simple as a failed software update which cripples only one software and how to fix it, all the way to significant natural disasters which take out entire hosting infrastructures and/or server locations causing the need for full system restoration or replacement.  It also includes having accurate asset listings, schedules of equipment and software with end of life projections, exact version and update levels for all systems and softwares, knowledge of data backup schedules locations and alternate locations and more. 

Advanced Service Solutions has been working with business to understand Disaster Recovery and the ramifications of not having it since before the Internet and Cloud were invented.  We understant the Internet, Cloud Services, Physical Security, Disaster Recovery and the impact that these failures have on your organization .  We also understand the raminifactions of the decisons you are making and can make sure that you make the right choice the first time.  We partner with and have many years of installations and experience with some of the top names in the Disaster Recovery, Technology and Cloud Industry, and we also have experience working with business development, structure and services.  This means that we are uniquely qualified to help you bridge the gap between having and not having a Disaster Recovery Plan and Process.

Call today for more information and a free initial consultation.
Contact our Consulting Specialist at:  +1 (561) 432-1404