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There is much misconception when it comes to disaster recovery. Most people think as long as you’re backing up your data to a tape or some secondary storage (i.e. NAS, external USB drive, etc.)  you’re covered. Backup and DR are not interchangeable, but they can be accomplished with a single service.

Backups are just that. They are a replication of a certain set of data. This is what’s used to recover a lost, damaged, or mistakenly deleted file. It’s a fairly simple and easy process, but it offers no protection should an entire system, application, or server fail.  To put it another way; backups safeguard your data only. Having data stored is only useful if there is a system to read it.

Disaster recovery offers a complete system to be brought back online should a failure occur. The process should be tested regularly to ensure that it’s actually working as designed. If a server crashes, a true DR system should be able to bring the system back online quickly and allow production to resume.

Lastly – you need to consider specific disasters (tornado, theft, fire, etc.). For these reasons it’s standard these days to replicate your DR plan off-site to a remote location for safe keeping. Like any plan it needs to be practiced to ensure proper execution should the need arise.

Often times back and disaster recovery are bundled allowing companies to reap the benefits of both options in a single service. Fortis IT solutions’ consultants can help determine a solid DR Plan that works for your business and your budget.