Availability Guide for Problem Management

Planning for Disasters
Availability Guide for Problem Management–125509
8-4
Disaster Recovery Planning
•
Ensure that rooms or facilities used for archiving have controls and sensors that
detect and warn of extreme temperature, humidity, smoke, or other contamination.
•
Determine whether data should be stored at a location separate from the computer
facility and whether you need fireproof data vaults. If you do not have an off-site
facility for data storage, you can arrange for off-site storage through a vendor.
•
Perform random checks of the archives and archived data to make sure that the
procedures for requesting data, the procedures for retrieving data, and the data itself
are in order and functioning properly.
•
Ensure that critical tapes and data are not sent off site accidentally.
Disaster Recovery Planning
Disaster recovery planning is the process of:
1. Taking inventory of what is at risk and how various disasters could affect your
installations
2. Developing a recovery plan
3. Testing the recovery plan and training the staff
4. Revising the plan
By taking inventory, developing a recovery plan, and testing and implementing the plan,
you will be prepared to recover more quickly from disasters and to minimize the effect
of the disaster on your company’s computer operations. There are several companies and
PC-based products that can assist you in developing your disaster plan.
Disaster planning is a major undertaking and a team effort. To be effective, your
planning effort should:
•
Be supported by your company’s executives, and funds should be allocated to enable
departments to fulfill the plan requirements.
•
Involve people who have a knowledge of your company’s business, who are
technically knowledgeable, and who are experienced in system operations.
Figure 8-1 illustrates the disaster planning process. The paragraphs that follow describe
the inventory, development, testing, and update phases of the process.