Disaster recovery planning - management
The planning phase is crucial to the success of any disaster recovery (DR) initiative. This topic section provides administrators with up-to-date news and how-to information about the personnel, staffing, training and documentation needs related to DR. In addition, this section discusses the best practices for mitigating risks, analyzing potential business impacts, personnel issues, documentation, change control and performing RTO and RPO assessments.
Top Stories
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Feature
18 Jan 2023
Developing an emergency communications plan: A template for business continuity professionals
Communicating details in a crisis is a vital part of BC and resilience planning. Follow the steps below and the associated template to prepare an emergency communication plan. Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Dec 2022
Top 14 ransomware targets in 2023 and beyond
Two in three organizations suffered ransomware attacks in a single 12-month period, according to recent research. And, while some industries are taking particularly hard hits, no one is safe. Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Jan 2023
Developing an emergency communications plan: A template for business continuity professionals
Communicating details in a crisis is a vital part of BC and resilience planning. Follow the steps below and the associated template to prepare an emergency communication plan. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Dec 2022
Why BCDR teams should consider EMP disaster recovery plans
An EMP event could be a major game changer depending on where it happens and who is affected. EMP disaster recovery might not seem urgent, but it never hurts to be prepared. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Dec 2022
Top 8 business continuity certifications to consider in 2023
There are many certifications available, including the Certified Business Continuity Professional and Certified Disaster Recovery Engineer. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Dec 2022
How to use a risk assessment matrix: A free template and guide
A risk assessment matrix identifies threats and vulnerabilities that present the greatest potential for disruption or damage. Use this free template to focus risk mitigation. Continue Reading
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News
29 Nov 2022
Rubrik Cyber Recovery adds plan testing, forensics to mix
To be released as part of its security cloud, Rubrik Cyber Recovery provides recovery plan testing, snapshot cloning for vulnerabilities and investigations of infected data. Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2022
Data resiliency guarantees offer new kind of assurance
Data resiliency guarantees from Druva, Rubrik and AvePoint offer data warranties of up to $10 million, but experts caution customers to read the fine print. Continue Reading
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Opinion
21 Nov 2022
Ransomware preparedness: The long road ahead
Is your organization ready for ransomware? A recent survey shows that businesses in a variety of industries are all struggling with ransomware prevention and recovery. Continue Reading
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News
02 Nov 2022
Trilio Continuous Restore aimed at faster recovery time
Trilio's 3.0 upgrade for its TrilioVault for Kubernetes includes general availability of Continuous Restore and added support for Red Hat OpenShift. Continue Reading
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Tip
01 Nov 2022
Where do business continuity plans fit in a ransomware attack?
Recovery isn't the only priority when ransomware hits. Careful planning, training and coordination among IT teams are critical to maintain business continuity during an attack. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Oct 2022
Create a flood business continuity plan to stay afloat
In the event of a flood, don't settle for watered-down action plans. Download our free flood business continuity plan template to create a flood-specific recovery strategy. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Sep 2022
Why a HIPAA disaster recovery plan is critical
Disaster recovery is a complex and high-stakes operation. When healthcare data is in the mix, a good DR plan is even more crucial. Do you have a HIPAA disaster plan in place? Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Sep 2022
Where does security fit into a business continuity plan?
Cybersecurity breaches are a prominent threat to business continuity today. Make sure your security and BCDR teams are in sync to recover data in a crisis. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Sep 2022
Use ISO 22320:2018 to prepare an incident management plan
Incident management is critical to ensure that businesses can deal with unplanned disruptive events. Find out how the ISO:22320:2018 standard can help. Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2022
New Everbridge CEO takes over at critical time
New Everbridge CEO David Wagner details his areas of focus for the company. Investor Ancora has suggested that a private equity firm should acquire Everbridge. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Aug 2022
Use ISO/TS 22317:2021 to shape your business impact analysis
ISO/TS 22317:2021 is a useful tool for BCDR practitioners and other personnel tasked with executing a BIA, which can often be a highly complex activity. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Aug 2022
Where does AI fit into a risk assessment strategy?
AI is a helpful way to take a different look at risk assessment and disaster recovery. AI sifts through massive amounts of risk data without the typical constraints of DR teams. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Aug 2022
Free disaster recovery budget template to justify BCDR spending
Budgeting for disaster recovery does not need to be difficult. With detailed guidance from our free budget template, IT professionals can easily initiate and manage the process. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jul 2022
Use recovery level objective to fine-tune BCDR response
Recovery level objective is not a widely used metric, but it has value to business continuity and disaster recovery teams. Learn how it fits in the BCDR timeline here. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jul 2022
Get the most out of Azure Site Recovery DRaaS
For Azure users, the Site Recovery DRaaS tool provides reliable and accessible disaster recovery. Testing and good management are critical to get the most out of the service. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Jun 2022
Tighten up work recovery time for successful disaster recovery
The best strategy for reducing work recovery time windows is done before the need arises. Proactive disaster recovery planning is key to being as prepared as possible. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 May 2022
Business continuity in the cloud: Benefits and planning tips
Learn the major areas of concern and the seven key steps to include when creating a cloud-based business continuity plan to protect data and workloads. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 May 2022
SaaS disaster recovery best practices for users and providers
When it comes to SaaS disaster recovery there are two main roles: the consumer and the provider. The side of the fence they're on defines their options and responsibilities. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 May 2022
12 key points a disaster recovery plan checklist must include
Having a comprehensive disaster recovery plan checklist ensures that you can get data center operations back up and running as efficiently as possible when an incident does occur. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 May 2022
Business resilience vs. business continuity: Key differences
Business continuity and resilience go hand in hand and play a role in an organization's disaster recovery plan. Essentially, business continuity is needed to achieve resilience. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 May 2022
Free business impact analysis (BIA) template with instructions
If you need to perform a business impact analysis, this guide and our free, downloadable template will assist you in your business continuity planning. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 May 2022
ITGC audit checklist: 6 controls you need to address
Assess the risks to your IT operations and company infrastructure with an IT general controls audit. Download our checklist to help you remember what to include in the audit. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 May 2022
A free business continuity plan template and guide
A business continuity plan is critical for an organization when an unplanned event occurs. Follow this template and BC planning guidelines to get on the right path to resilience. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 May 2022
Top 10 business continuity risks to monitor
Business continuity and disaster recovery threats vary by organization, but common threads can be found across the globe. Ten worrisome trends appear to be having a big year. Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2022
Dell Apex now offers managed cyber recovery service
Dell Technologies releases a new managed cyber recovery service as part of its Apex portfolio and other cloud disaster recovery products, including a debut on Microsoft Azure. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Apr 2022
Zerto tips and tricks for ransomware recovery
Ransomware recovery is a major concern for disaster recovery teams. For businesses using Zerto, there are a variety of ransomware protection and recovery features that can help. Continue Reading
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News
26 Apr 2022
HYCU Protege updates focus on ransomware recovery
HYCU sharpens its emphasis on WORM storage with more support and 'cloud dedupe.' The ransomware-focused product updates follow the recent release of a ransomware assessment tool. Continue Reading
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News
20 Apr 2022
Sungard files second Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Sungard Availability Services cited pricey colocation centers and COVID-19 as business challenges that led the company to file for bankruptcy in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Continue Reading
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News
06 Apr 2022
StorageCraft DRaaS outage highlights layered protection need
As a result of the StorageCraft outage, some of the vendor's DRaaS users lost the ability to fail over. Having a local backup is one method of protection against cloud outages. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Mar 2022
How AI adds value to crisis communications systems
AI provides key enhancements to existing emergency notifications systems that can reduce the amount of time a business needs to effectively prepare for and respond to a crisis. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Mar 2022
How to calculate maximum allowable downtime
Determining maximum allowable downtime is more than a simple equation. Find out why it's important, how it varies and the elements that make the maximum allowable downtime metric. Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Feb 2022
How to manage disaster recovery in SQL Server
SQL Server offers a platform for hosting relational databases. Enacting a disaster recovery plan that won't disrupt mission-critical SQL Server workloads is essential. Continue Reading
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Infographic
14 Feb 2022
Proactive risk mitigation should be a business priority
Every organization will likely deal with a critical event at some point, but many are still reluctant to make proactive risk mitigation a priority. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Jan 2022
Decode the 4 phases of emergency management
The four-phase framework to emergency management can help organizations plan for all types of emergencies. Here's more about each phase and the steps to take within each. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Jan 2022
Critical event management software simplifies disaster recovery
Critical event management software can help reduce the chaos of disaster response, without overloading disaster recovery teams with data or complicating communications. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2022
Datto acquires Infocyte to expand threat detection tools
Datto picks up Infocyte for its threat detection capabilities, targeting a growing customer demand in the face of a growing skills gap. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2022
Backblaze now a target for Kasten Kubernetes backups
Kasten by Veeam can now use Backblaze's cloud storage as a backup target for Kubernetes data, a need that will continue to grow in popularity. Continue Reading
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News
22 Dec 2021
AWS outage brings DR strategies back into focus
A lengthy outage for AWS in December brought many enterprise apps and services to a halt, but it also provided a moment of reflection on DR plans and data availability. Continue Reading
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News
21 Dec 2021
Disaster recovery planning on readers' minds in 2021
New disaster recovery products attracted the site's most page views in 2021, indicating disaster recovery planning is top of mind with cloud-native protection. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Dec 2021
IT resilience management, planning top of mind for DR pros
Resilience is a key issue for disaster recovery pros. This year, readers sought to build up their skills and learn more about the role of resilience in DR. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Dec 2021
Where do PSIM systems fit into disaster recovery?
Organizations that use multiple security platforms can look to PSIM systems to be better prepared for an incident. Read on for more about how they work. Continue Reading
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News
07 Dec 2021
Backups for Microsoft 365 expands Rewind's portfolio
Rewind expands its SaaS protection with Backups for Microsoft 365. The new service is the first from Rewind in support of a major SaaS platform. Continue Reading
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News
02 Dec 2021
AWS disaster recovery service now available
AWS disaster recovery services now feature a first-party option with AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery alongside a new Recycling Bin service for data snapshot recovery. Continue Reading
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News
30 Nov 2021
Zerto launches DR orchestration tool for AWS EC2
The new Zerto In-Cloud is standalone DR automation and orchestration software that uses EBS snapshots and AWS APIs instead of Zerto's continuous data protection technology. Continue Reading
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News
17 Nov 2021
JetStream's Azure-native DR finally takes off
JetStream DR for Azure VMware Solution offers DRaaS for VMware VMs and is deeply integrated with Azure, including using Azure Blob Storage to minimize storage costs. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Nov 2021
How to use AI for disaster response
AI systems can be a dynamic method to automate disaster response, but they need to be well trained in interpreting disasters to be effective. Here are some tips to get started. Continue Reading
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Answer
16 Nov 2021
What is the role of qualitative and quantitative impact in DR?
Disaster recovery planners use several metrics to craft a plan suited to their organizations. Quantitative and qualitative impact are two helpful metrics in a recovery strategy. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Nov 2021
Prepare a supply chain disaster recovery plan
Supply chain disruptions can bring business to a halt and lead to high costs. Examine potential threats, mitigation costs and prepare to plug any gaps in the chain. Continue Reading
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Tip
01 Nov 2021
How to calculate and reduce MTTR
Mean time to repair is a helpful performance metric to ensure that important systems and processes don't fail. BCDR teams should know how to calculate MTTR, as well as lower it. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Oct 2021
Prepare and conduct a ransomware tabletop exercise
Tabletop exercises help organizations practice response and recovery, but one size doesn't fit all. For ransomware attacks, use this template to create a targeted exercise. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Oct 2021
IT risk assessment template (with free download)
Risk assessments are a critical part of a disaster recovery plan. Find out how to prepare a risk assessment and then download the included free template to create one. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Sep 2021
Decode different types of business interruption insurance
Business interruption insurance can be difficult to navigate because not all policies are the same. Here's what to examine when exploring insurance options. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Aug 2021
Top mass notification system vendors and how to choose one
Mass notification systems are crucial to a business continuity and disaster recovery strategy. To choose the right system, cross-check its capabilities with your requirements. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Aug 2021
Use ISO 22332 to improve business continuity plans
Standards offer guidance on business continuity and disaster recovery plans. ISO 22332 is no exception, providing great detail on how to prepare and execute a BC plan. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Aug 2021
Understand the costs of a disaster recovery failure
A disaster recovery plan may seem like an unnecessary expense to some businesses, but a lack of preparation will cost you. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Aug 2021
Zerto vs. Veeam: Compare 2 disaster recovery providers
Cloud failover, automation and orchestration are just a few of the features to consider in comparisons of Veeam and Zerto. See how the two DR products compare. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Aug 2021
Maximize the benefits of virtual disaster recovery
Compared to physical setups, virtualization can accelerate and streamline DR processes. Automation, however, is essential to achieve those benefits. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Aug 2021
Fortify emergency communications systems with a business plan
Emergency communications is one of the first actions organizations should undertake during an incident. An automated system is critical but cannot stand alone without a plan. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Aug 2021
Make a power outage business continuity plan with these tips
Power outages can lead to business disruption and hit at any moment. Infrastructure testing and emergency protocols can help with business continuity when the lights go down. Continue Reading
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News
11 Aug 2021
SIOS Protection Suite update enhances HA for cloud and SAP
Improvements to the SIOS Protection Suite include planned failovers of SAP S/4HANA with zero downtime, GCP support and integration with third-party tools via CLI. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jul 2021
Prepare for planned and unplanned downtime
There are two types of IT downtime: planned and unplanned. Neither are desirable, but one is necessary and the other could strike at any moment. Here's how to prepare for both. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Jul 2021
DRaaS vs. BaaS: Compare 2 data protection options
While DRaaS and BaaS can simplify data protection operations, they aren't right for all IT shops. Learn the differences between the two technologies -- and the potential risks. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Jul 2021
How to plan for the cost of unplanned downtime
Unplanned downtime can lead to serious consequences, including reputational harm, revenue loss and extra IT costs. Use these tips to plan for the unexpected. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Jul 2021
Crisis communications training exercises to implement
A crisis communications team must be prepared to spring into action at a moment's notice. Here are three crisis communications training strategies to ensure a team is ready. Continue Reading
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News
01 Jul 2021
HPE fills in GreenLake with Zerto acquisition
HPE will buy Zerto for $374 million and use its continuous data protection capabilities to bring disaster recovery, backup and data migration offerings to the GreenLake portfolio. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Jun 2021
Business continuity interview questions for aspiring managers
Business continuity managers must be ready for anything, and that includes interviewing for the role. Here are some common business continuity interview questions to prepare for. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jun 2021
Build a BCDR employee training program for peak resilience
A BCDR training program teaches employees key skills, such as how to conduct risk assessments, coordinate emergency response with first responders and restore business processes. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Jun 2021
Organizational resilience questionnaire for recovery teams
Following organizational resiliency standards such as ISO and BSI can prepare organizations for disaster. These questions provide a starting point to validate OR readiness. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jun 2021
Zerto keeps Texas bank from being left in the cold
During Winter Storm Uri, Woodforest National Bank enacted its DR plan and used Zerto to bring its servers back online shortly after its primary data center went completely dark. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Jun 2021
12 skills business continuity managers need to succeed
Communication, collaboration, IT expertise and project management are key skills that business continuity managers must have to efficiently lead a BCDR team. Here's why. Continue Reading
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News
22 Jun 2021
DxEnterprise brings SQL Server AGs to Kubernetes
DxEnterprise for Containers enables SQL Server availability groups to work in Kubernetes, solving a problem that prevented SQL Server users from moving into production. Continue Reading
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Report
15 Jun 2021
Guide to business continuity and pandemic planning
This guide explains the enterprise impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how business continuity planning keeps organizations safe and in operation. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Jun 2021
How to build a strong crisis communications team
A crisis communications team works best when all members are fully aware of their responsibilities. Here are some tips on building a highly effective response team. Continue Reading
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Answer
08 Jun 2021
What are some examples of organizational resilience?
Organizational resilience encompasses everything a company needs to run in times of crisis. These examples show how businesses handle tough situations. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 May 2021
Titan HST says emergency comms usage shifted during pandemic
Vic Merjanian, CEO of emergency mass communication platform vendor Titan HST, says the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the technological push toward a contactless world. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 May 2021
The tiers of disaster recovery, explained
Organizations have used disaster recovery tiers to define the DR process for years. These key tiers can serve as a backbone to a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. Continue Reading
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Answer
13 May 2021
How do risk assessment costs vary and why?
Risk assessments help identify and, more importantly, prioritize activities an organization needs to address its most serious threats and vulnerabilities. However, costs may vary. Continue Reading
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News
11 May 2021
StorageCraft DRaaS sets up shop on Google Cloud Platform
StorageCraft's new DRaaS offering uses Google Cloud as its back end, giving it the scale, flexibility and security to service customers with large data sets. Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2021
Dell draws line between cyber recovery and disaster recovery
Recovering from natural disasters and from cyber attacks represent separate use cases. Dell says customers should be aware of the differences in how to approach the two problems. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Apr 2021
Establish a business continuity team to get the full picture
Business continuity teams provide insight and focus that can keep an organization on its feet when disaster strikes. Don't rely on a disaster recovery team to reduce downtime. Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Apr 2021
Castellan Solutions says COVID-19 forced BCDR rethink
COVID-19 caught organizations flat-footed in terms of business continuity, and new challenges will arise as vaccines are distributed, according to Castellan Solutions' CEO and COO. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Mar 2021
Create an incident response plan with this free template
Want to boost your organization's ability to fight cybersecurity threats? Uncover the essentials to creating an incident response plan and download our free, editable template. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Mar 2021
Prepare for the unknown with an organizational resilience model
An organizational resilience strategy is far-reaching, involving many facets of IT and the business -- from disaster recovery to supply chain management. Continue Reading
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News
24 Mar 2021
Infrascale refreshes DRaaS offering with SSD appliances
Infrascale Backup and Disaster Recovery added two new SSD appliances, giving customers an on-premises high-performance backup and recovery option in addition to DRaaS in the cloud. Continue Reading
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News
23 Mar 2021
AlertMedia boosts threat intelligence warning capabilities
AlertMedia enhanced its Global Threat Intelligence capabilities by adding a team of experts to provide professionally vetted threat warnings for its customers. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Mar 2021
How to establish an operational resilience training program
Collaboration across departments is the new normal to protect business operations. Set up and promote an operational resilience training program with our included printable guide. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Mar 2021
Operational resilience frameworks hinge on breaking down silos
Resilience is more than just business continuity and disaster recovery. Operational resilience depends on communication among many different business functions at an organization. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Feb 2021
The reality of Docker disaster recovery in practice
A successful Docker DR strategy must account for a range of factors, including the host infrastructure, networks and redundancy in the cloud. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Feb 2021
Combine business continuity and crisis management practices
Together, business continuity and crisis management procedures help an organization prepare for the worst. But careful planning is key. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Feb 2021
Bolster an operational resilience strategy with these tips
What's the first step to achieve operational resilience? Knowing which assets and activities are most critical to the business. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Feb 2021
Follow these standards for business continuity and resilience
Business continuity, disaster recovery and resilience professionals have numerous IT standards they can reference for nearly every aspect of planning. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jan 2021
Optimize a BCDR strategy for 2021 and beyond
COVID-19 has changed the way many organizations view BCDR. Along with an increased interest in resilience, a pandemic-proof BCDR plan is likely top of mind for 2021. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Jan 2021
Use APIs to create a custom disaster recovery report
The right set of PowerShell commands and API calls can go a long way to build and customize a disaster recovery report. Learn how with these steps. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2021
Everbridge CTO details critical event management 'wake-up call'
Everbridge CTO Imad Mouline discusses how the coronavirus pandemic changed his company and businesses around the world, plus how organizations can improve crisis management. Continue Reading
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News
08 Jan 2021
JetStream Software carries DR to Azure VMware Solution
JetStream DR for Azure VMware Solution allows customers to failover on-premises VMware VMs to Azure VMware Solution. The data is stored in Azure. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Dec 2020
Remote disaster recovery presents new business challenges
With more employees working remotely than ever, natural disasters and other typical DR crises present an entirely new challenge. How can businesses tackle this new set of risks? Continue Reading