How to Streamline Disaster Recovery Planning Post-COVID

COVID-19 has changed how companies and businesses operate. This made it mainstream to work remotely and made for better work-life balance for most employees. However, it also exposed companies and their supply chains to new risks. As a result, IT systems were strained as well. Therefore, business owners must now think about how to streamline disaster recovery planning post‑COVID? To answer this, certain changes must be made by most organizations which includes disaster recovery (DR) planning, SMB. This will include remote workforce backup, business continuity strategy, virtual failover, and transition to COVID business recovery. 

How to Streamline Disaster Recovery Planning Post-COVID

For operations and IT leads, this question: How to streamline disaster recovery planning in the post-COVID era? Has a straightforward answer, and that is to automate. Companies must take advantage of new technology and develop defenses that safeguard personnel and hardware.  

Disaster Recovery (DR) Planning, SMB, Matters More Now 

Any break or disruption of business is now more expensive than ever. Aside from decreased productivity and opportunity costs, it also means loss of revenue. This is due to the fact that customers and consumers now demand quicker services and faster product delivery. Hence, downtimes normally imply loss of income as well as confidence. To small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), outages as short as five minutes can have a catastrophic impact. That’s why a strong business continuity strategy and remote workforce backup are imperative. 

New Challenge for SMBs post-COVID 

Pre-pandemic, most of DR planning, SMBs in particular, was in response to localized issues. This includes storms, fires, or social unrest. However, COVID pointed to deeper issues.  

Remote workforce backup 

Now, employees working from home need to have stable and secure connections. Hence, the new DR planning requirements now require cloud-based backup as well as remote access. 

Virtual Failover 

Virtual failover is when there is an automatic second system in place that automatically works should the primary system fail. SMBs, nowadays, need virtual failover to keep services available, especially with fewer on-site systems being used. 

COVID business recovery 

Recovery is no longer just about systems. It has evolved into something that considers people, communication, and remote working. 

How to Streamline Disaster Recovery Planning Post-COVID 

Optimizing DR planning SMB should not be a complicated task. A well-planned strategy from reliable and knowledgeable IT leaders can manage resilience without minimal expenses. This plan of action includes: 

Risk Assessment 

This step determines the potential cause of downtime in your new environment. It points out typical risks such as failure of hardware as well as remote work, overloading VPNs, or cloud service interruptions. 

Prioritizing Critical Systems 

Systems have varied levels of significance. Therefore, prioritizing applications and services to maintain business continuity is imperative. This includes order processing, communications, and customer portals. 

Updating Backup Strategies 

A “remote-first” world required flexible backups. This is because it ensures SMBs that their data is backed up in several safe places. This also means the use of automatic cloud backups and routine test recovery speeds. 

Integrate Virtual Failover 

Virtual failover minimizes downtime and keeps remote employees productive. This is a fallback in the case of the failure of one system wherein another is able to promptly replace it. 

Create a Communication Plan 

Disaster recovery is not a work of one person or team, it is the lookout of everyone in the company. Therefore, leaders need to keep employees, clients, and partners involved and updated. A good communication line eliminates misunderstanding and fosters trust. 

Optimizing Processes for Faster Recovery 

DR planning after COVID should be cost-effective, fast, and easy. Processing streamlining tips are as follows:  

Automate where possible 

Failovers and automated backup minimize human error. 

Standardize procedures 

Write down all proceedings for action by any member. 

Test regularly 

Conduct practice recovery drills every three months to test plans. 

Use trusted providers 

Outside parties, such as EB Solution, who can streamline the planning, offer specialized expertise, and help with your company having reliable recovery tools. 

Building a Future-Ready Business Continuity Strategy 

DR planning is part of a larger business continuity strategy. SMBs need to look beyond the box of recovery to resilience. This means securing remote and in-office workforces, maintaining customer-facing systems 24/7, and reviewing and updating continuity plans regularly. Through process optimization today, SMBs can minimize the risks and enhance long-term stability.  

Looking Forward by Working with a Trusted Partner 

Business has become different, and so is disaster recovery. To SMBs who aspire to embrace modern technology but have very few IT resources to work with, the solution is simple: pay less and automate it and collaborate with an IT specialist. In doing so, businesses are in a position to be prepared, downtimes are reduced, and growth is guaranteed even in a disrupted environment. 

When you have a trusted provider to work with, such as EB Solution, all key details will not be missed. Our team will not just offer disaster recovery planning but also offer remote workforce backup solutions.  

Call us today for your free consultation!