Disaster recovery planning - management

IT business continuity and disaster recovery: Past to future

From protecting mainframes to recovering from cyberattacks, the methods for business continuity and disaster recovery have changed, but the practice remains vital. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Crocetti, Executive Editor

Converged backup and recovery strategies offer efficiency, reliability

Are you confident in your backup and recovery strategy? Make sure you have locked down the speed, testing and security of both processes to recover data appropriately. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

A ransomware recovery plan for SMBs in five steps

SMBs are especially at risk of cyberattacks. Follow these steps, and even with a limited budget and staff, you could successfully recover from ransomware. Continue Reading

By

• Nick Cavalancia, Techvangelism

Zerto Virtual Replication 6.0 dives deeper into multiple clouds

Zerto has added to its bidirectional Virtual Replication software with multi-cloud protection for data and applications stored in AWS, Microsoft Azure and IBM Cloud. Continue Reading

By

• Sonia Lelii, TechTarget

Ransomware outbreak threat calls for backup and DR strategy

IT departments deploy a range of data restore approaches to mitigate the risk of a debilitating ransomware attack. Time is of the essence, however. Continue Reading

By

• John Moore, Industry Editor

What are the top disaster recovery trends for 2018?

Expect disaster recovery market trends to include consolidation and simplification. Vendors should also note that quick failover and recovery time remain top needs for customers. Continue Reading

By

• Stuart Burns

IT DR planning helps Frost Museum of Science weather Irma

The Frost Museum of Science in Miami braced for Hurricane Irma with a solidified DR planning, storage and data center infrastructure, and it suffered minimal damage from the storm. Continue Reading

By

• Dave Raffo

Don't overlook these business resilience plan essentials

Business resilience planning requires preventive and proactive protections across power supply, systems, cybersecurity and backup procedures. Staff planning is important as well. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

The hottest data storage technology trends for 2018

For the past 15 years, Storage magazine has identified the hottest data storage technology trends you'll want to follow in the coming year. All of our selections may be "newish" tech, but they're also tried and true, having demonstrated their effectiveness and worth in the data center. You won't find anything bleeding edge on our list -- only proven and widely available technologies made the cut. Honorees for the hottest data storage technology trends of 2018 cover a wide spectrum of storage tech, from predictive analytics to ransomware protection to converged secondary storage, multi-cloud and nonvolatile memory express over fabrics.

Although we do our best to predict the hottest data storage technology trends, sometimes our crystal ball isn't as clear as we would like. Once again, we've included a report card on how last year's picks panned out. And, as a bonus, we've provided a list of storage trends that aren't quite ready for prime time and didn't make our 2018 hot tech list. There's always 2019 for those technologies!

Not all backups are created equal or even follow the traditional model of only copying files that have changed since the last backup to a storage device on a media server. Take the concept of backup-less backups, commonly called flat backups. Here, storage-level snapshots created on a server or filer are backed up and replicated to another server filer. This is different from a typical backup in a couple ways: There's no media server, and the protected copy is just that, a copy -- in the same format as the original data. Find out more about backup-less backup, the vendors that offer it and how you can best make use of the technology for your organization.

 Continue Reading

Network disaster recovery plan template

If your organization doesn't have a network disaster recovery plan, download our free network DR plan template for tips on how to get started. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan
• James Alan Miller, Senior Executive Editor

Free business continuity policy template

A business continuity plan can help organizations of any size prepare for a disaster. Resiliency, recovery and contingency planning are key elements to get systems up and running. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan
• James Alan Miller, Senior Executive Editor

Features disaster recovery-as-a-service providers must offer

A cost-effective disaster recovery as a service lets organizations of all sizes implement a dependable disaster recovery plan. Disaster recovery-as-a-service providers replicate or back up customer data to cloud data centers and then -- should disaster strike -- host and run applications remotely. There's a lot of room for disaster recovery-as-a-service providers to develop features specific to their DRaaS products, which can make sorting through those offerings daunting. Learn about the four key capabilities to look for when comparing DRaaS vendors to ensure the one you choose can handle the full range of potential disasters.

Data that goes into cold storage is often kept for compliance and, increasingly, for big data analysis. Such data is infrequently or never accessed. Typically cheaper and lower performing than primary or secondary storage, cold storage systems are designed for storing such data. Enterprises may need to make this data warm or hot at a moment's notice, though, complicating cold storage design and increasing costs. Initially based on automated tape libraries and optical jukeboxes, cold storage systems have evolved to encompass Linear Tape File System and object storage as the amount of unstructured data has grown in recent years. Software for managing unstructured data has changed the cold data landscape as well.

Employees often access and synchronize corporate data from a variety of consumer-grade sync-and-share services, putting the organization at risk. Enterprise-grade file sync-and-share -- available via the cloud, on premises or in hybrid modes -- includes enhancements to ensure security and compliance. Such features vary among vendors, but there are certain ones you should always look for to maintain data integrity and security.

 Continue Reading

Protection against ransomware takes flight with canary files

As ransomware attackers get smarter, it's important for data protection systems to step up their game. Canary files and infection detection are a good start. Continue Reading

By

• Alastair Cooke

How do I design and initiate a call tree procedure?

A call tree can be an important piece of disaster recovery planning. Follow these steps for call tree design and execution to ensure your company is ready for unplanned events. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

The data storage industry will turn upside down in 2017, or will it?

Rich Castagna reviews the prognostications offered by data storage vendors on the future of data storage technology in 2017. Continue Reading

By

• Rich Castagna

Tape archive remains the recording medium of choice

Tape archiving offers low-cost, long-term data protection in a variety of industries, keeping it atop the list of data center backup technologies. Continue Reading

By

• Eric Slack, Evaluator Group

A look at data backup techniques: Recovery-in-place

Explore recovery-in-place technology to see if it is the right fit for your organization. But be aware that this data backup method requires some up-front planning. Continue Reading

By

• George Crump

Data backup and disaster recovery made simple

Many backup products include DR, enabling users to manage both tasks from the same platform. Learn how to streamline data backup and disaster recovery. Continue Reading

By

• George Crump

What are the top five ways to train personnel in disaster response?

What are the five best ways to ensure personnel are trained in disaster response and ready to respond to a disaster event? Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

What are some common VMware High Availability configuration errors?

What are the most common mistakes people make when configuring VMware High Availability? Continue Reading

By

• Marc Staimer, Dragon Slayer Consulting

Include the VoIP system in your disaster recovery planning process

Independent disaster recovery planning expert Paul Kirvan discusses why your VoIP system must be part of the disaster recovery planning process. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Your disaster recovery planning process must include your phone system

Independent disaster recovery planning expert Paul Kirvan discusses why your disaster recovery planning process must include your phone system. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Why the change management process is important for DR

Paul Kirvan discusses the importance of the change management process for disaster recovery in this Expert Answer. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

10 mistakes to avoid in your disaster recovery planning process

Don't make your DR planning process harder than it is by trying to do too much or cutting corners. Careful planning is key to a successful recovery. Continue Reading

By

• Jon Toigo

Essential guide to BC and DR

Every year, many readers report that they are not confident in their organization's DR plans. This collection of our best BC/DR content can help. Continue Reading

Security incident response procedures: When to do a system shutdown

At times, security incident response procedures require drastic measures. Expert Nick Lewis explains when and how to perform a system shutdown. Continue Reading

By

• Nick Lewis

Building an incident response plan

Learn how incident response plans offer a starting point for responding to a situation and then deciding how to proceed in this tip from Paul Kirvan. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

emergency management plan

An emergency management plan should include measures that provide for the safety of personnel and, if possible, property and facilities. Continue Reading

By

• TechTarget Contributor

Building a DR site vs. outsourcing disaster recovery

Paul Kirvan explains some of the pros and cons of using a third-party vendor to provide a backup DR site versus building your own site. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Video conferencing essential to disaster recovery communications

Video conferencing and telepresence have become essential parts of a disaster recovery communications plan for both government agencies and enterprises. Continue Reading

By

• Gina Narcisi, TechTarget

Removing a bad patch using Microsoft Windows Server Update Service

This tip offers information about how to remove a bad software patch using Microsoft Microsoft Windows Server Update Service. Continue Reading

By

• Brien Posey

ISO 22301 (International Organization of Standardization standard 22301)

International Organization of Standardization standard 22301 (ISO 22301) is a proposed standard that would call for meeting specific societal security requirements for disaster preparedness and business continuity management systems (BCMS). It is currently in draft form that, if approved, would call for requirements for creating a BCMS, as well as managing and improving that system. Continue Reading

By

• TechTarget Contributor

Business impact analysis questionnaire template

Download our free business impact analysis questionnaire template we've created to help you jumpstart your BIA process. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Getting started with outsourcing disaster recovery sites

Disaster recovery outsourcing can save you money, but follow these tips before you sign on the dotted line. Continue Reading

By

• Harvey Betan, Risk Masters, Inc.

Free disaster recovery planning templates

Download our free templates today to help create the best disaster recovery plan for your business. Continue Reading

By

• SearchDisasterRecovery Editorial Staff

Bulletproof your disaster recovery planning process

Learn how to bulletproof your disaster recovery planning process with this free guide. Continue Reading

By

• SearchDisasterRecovery Editorial Staff

Disaster recovery planning for your help desk: A help desk template

The help desk is a vital part of IT operations, but it's often not included in disaster recovery plans. Download our help desk template for DR planning. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Hot IT disaster recovery trends for 2011

Here's a look at our predictions for the hottest disaster recovery trends for the year ahead: cloud disaster recovery, data center outsourcing, and more. Continue Reading

By

• Pierre Dorion

Top 10 IT disaster recovery tips of 2010

To help alleviate the problems that often arise with disaster recovery (DR) planning and testing, we've compiled our top 10 DR tips from 2010. Learn about cloud disaster recovery, DR maturity levels and more. Continue Reading

By

• SearchDisasterRecovery Editorial Staff

Maximum tolerable period of disruption (MTPOD) vs. RTO and RPO

Learn what maximum tolerable period of disruption (MTPOD) means for disaster recovery planners vs. the terms RTO and RPO. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Virtualization disaster recovery planning tutorial

Virtualization disaster recovery (DR) differs from physical server DR in many ways. Learn the different technologies for virtual server backup and recovery, including VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM), and how VMware environments differ from Microsoft Hyper-V and Citrix XenServer environments. Continue Reading

Disaster recovery site requirements: Building your own DR site

Take these physical, operational and functional concerns into consideration before you build your own recovery site. Continue Reading

By

• Harvey Betan, Risk Masters, Inc.

Business continuity planning methodology quiz

Test your knowledge of business continuity with our business continuity planning methodology quiz. Continue Reading

By

• Heather Darcy

Selecting a managed business continuity service provider

In this tip, determine whether or not you need a managed BC service provider for BC/DR planning purposes and the steps to take to get the best results. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

What is a business impact analysis questionnaire and what types of questions should be included?

Harvey Betan explains that a BIA questionnaire is used to gather valuable and important data about a company, the industry and other background information in this expert response. Continue Reading

By

• Harvey Betan, Risk Masters, Inc.

Local area network disaster recovery tutorial: Redundant power systems and planning key for LAN DR

Avoid or mitigate common local area network (LAN) disasters by identifying likely failure points, building redundant systems, and stocking replacement equipment. Here's what you need in a LAN disaster recovery plan. Continue Reading

The importance of WAN optimization technology in disaster recovery programs

Listen to this podcast to find out the benefits of WAN optimization, how WAN optimization can help with DR and the future of WAN optimization in DR. Continue Reading

By

• Megan Kellett

Using data deduplication products as part of an IT disaster recovery strategy

Data deduplication has gained a lot of traction in the data backup and recovery world over the past few years. When integrating data deduplication products into your IT disaster recovery strategy, there are a number of things you need to consider. Should you use source dedupe or target dedupe? Which one is better for disaster recovery? If you are backing up your data to tape and disk, are there other issues to keep in mind? W. Curtis Preston, independent backup expert and executive editor, discusses source and target deduplication, how these approaches differ, what that means from a disaster recovery perspective and more in this Q&A. Continue Reading

What's the difference between a disaster recovery plan and a business continuity plan?

Kevin Beaver describes the difference between disaster recovery and business continuity planning in this ask the expert response. Continue Reading

By

• Kevin Beaver, Principle Logic, LLC

Change management in disaster recovery and business continuity planning

Change management is an important process for business continuity and disaster recovery planning for several reasons. Learn about change management best practices and its role in BC/DR planning. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Data center emergency power strategies in disaster recovery planning

Despite all the precautions you can take to provide uninterrupted power to your data center, situations can occur that threaten your center's continued operations. Learn about emergency power strategies in disaster recovery planning. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Risk management for disaster recovery planning

Disaster recovery (DR) planning is typically driven by risk management. This tip focuses on mitigating some of the risks associated with data and storage. Continue Reading

By

• Pierre Dorion

Including employees in your disaster recovery plan

To really ensure business continuity, organizations need to protect and support employees while continuing to manage the business. This tip examines key issues that are affecting employees in business continuity and disaster recovery situations. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Business continuity and disaster recovery outsourcing tutorial

Outsourcing disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity (BC) services can save you money and increase productivity. Learn about vendors in the DR/BC space and how to choose the best one for your enterprise. Continue Reading

By

• Paul Kirvan

Chapter 1 -- DR planning and design

It's easy to see the potential devastation involved in data loss. The first chapter of this guide starts off with sound DR planning, strategy and product advice. Continue Reading