Protect Your Business

Minimize Disruption

Technology Disaster
Planning and
Recoveryy

James Sifflard
Director, NE Agency Technology
Services
This Could Happen to YOU!

ƒ Server is stolen…
ƒ H dd
Hard drive
i ffails…Corrupted
il C d RAID array…
ƒ Flood…
ƒ Building burns down…

Are you prepared to deal with these

situations?
What is at Stake?….Your Business

ƒ Downtime $$
ƒ Lost
L clients
li $$
ƒ Critical information purged

You must make sure your protected…

When Disaster Strikes

ƒ What is your level of preparedness?

ƒ Fi S
First Steps – Disaster
Di Pl
Plan to refer
f to
ƒ Good Backup (data, applications)
ƒ Resource computer as temporary solution
ƒ Familiarity with the restore process
ƒ Minimize disruption and resume normal
operations
Disaster Recovery Plan

ƒ A disaster recovery plan outlines how your firm will handle

the recovery of all essential IT systems in the event of a
disruption or a disaster.

ƒ Focuses on bringing critical systems back online so your firm

can operate.

ƒ You should address the protection of data and information,

user operations, and IT service capacity and availability
d i a crisis.
during i i

ƒ Restoration of all systems from the disaster recovery mode.

 Develop
p the plan….Focus
p on IT

ƒ Th
The Recovery
R plan
l should
h ld contain
t i procedures
d
for restoring a damaged system.
– Key Personnel
– Damage Assessment and Notification.
– Recoveryy Procedure ((alternate site?))
– Reconstitution (actions needed to
resume normal operation)
Critical Components of the Plan

ƒ Inventory all critical IT resources such as

hardware, software applications, e-mail, license
agreementst document
d t managementt (Scanning),
(S i )
accounting and related interdependencies.
ƒ UPS, Generators, Fire suppression, storage for
media. (Identify)
ƒ Don’t forget phones – Virtual PBX or VOIP
ƒ Backup Strategy - onsite or Remote
Choose a Backup Strategy

New Two Systems Approach:

ƒ Local
– Back up via Tape or Portable Drive (off-site storage rotation)
– Critical Data only (old)
– System image backup to portable drive (new)

ƒ Online
O backup
– Automatic via the internet
– New
N products
d t available
il bl
Tape…What You Should Know

High Risk
ƒ Is it writing correctly? Check often…..
ƒ Critical data backup only no applications.
ƒ Tapes used beyond manufacturers recommendations.
ƒ Deteriorate over time
time.
ƒ General rule:
ƒ Write to a backup tape no more than 10 times.
ƒ Use tape no longer than 12 months.
USB Portable Hard Drive Backup

Benefits
ƒ Compact and Portable – Fits easily into a shirt pocket, briefcase or purse
ƒ Easy to use
– USB powered, no external power supply required
– No rebooting required for live system backups
– Hot plug and play
play. Windows automatically recognizes as an external
hard drive, no drivers required
ƒ Secure – Includes professional level backup and disaster recovery
software
ƒ Durable – Hard metal enclosure to handle the wear and tear of travel
ƒ Includes easy to use backup software
Online Backup Services

R
Remote
t site
it
ƒ All data is “compressed” and “encrypted” then transmitted to an
offsite hard drive.
ƒ Data restore takes less time with applications and critical data
included.
ƒ Even in the event of an office being destroyed you can operate
from home office or laptop
laptop.
ƒ Data is stored in multiple server locations for redundancy.
ƒ Restore takes less time
 System Imaging

ƒ Creates an image (snapshot) of everything on a drive including

the OS, data, applications, pictures and video as a single image
file.
ƒ Enables faster restoration than technologies such as tape.

Drive images can be stored on Tape

Tape, Disc (external
(external, network
network, etc)
etc), DVDs
DVDs,
CDs, remote computers, etc. and can be performed on a “live” system
dependent on the software used to create the drive image.
Scenario without System
y Image
g

Numerous Steps….
1. Nightly backup runs for Critical data files
2. SERVER DISC CRASH
3. Fix hardware (replace disc) or buy new computer
4
4. Re install OS (Need software CD with license keys,
Re-install keys re
re-register)
register)
5. Re-install application software (Need CD’s, license keys)
• Anti-virus/Anti-spyware
• MS Office/Outlook - Email accounts login/passwords/server info
• Backup software, Accounting software, Conveyancing software
• RE Utilities (eLynx, DesertDocs, Swiftview, etc.)
• GoToMyPC/PC Anywhere
6. Re-download/re-buy online applications (if lost/damaged cd’s or if originally
was downloaded)
77. Setup user accounts,
accounts logins,
logins passwords , Re-install printers
printers, etc
etc.
8. Re-create shared folders
9. Re-download Internet updates (service packs) since day 1
10. Restore nightly backup of critical data from tape or other medium.
11. Resume business activities
Scenario with System Image

Steps Reduced….
Reduced
1. Nightly system image backup runs
2. SERVER DISC CRASH
3. Fix hardware (replace disc) or buy new computer
4. Restore Drive Image (a bootable media enables restore without any
server rebuild).
5. Restore system image of OS, Data, applications, user accounts
from portable hard drive.
6. Resume business activities

Drive images do not need to be taken as frequently as your daily

backup since the OS and critical data typically does not change as
often. Weekly “drive images” can often suffice without significant
loss of recovery benefits.
 Take the necessaryy steps
p
to Protect your business….

Be prepared…..“An ounce of prevention is worth

a pound of cure”
cure

ƒ Develop, Test and Maintain a Disaster Recovery Plan

Develop Plan.
ƒ Identify all critical systems and applications.
ƒ Apply the necessary technology to mitigate disruption.
ƒ PROTECT and SAVE your BUSINESS.
The Most Important Things You Should Do To
Protect Your Company From Disaster:

1. Back up data everyday using two independent systems

transferred to off-site locations. Typically:
• Nightly online backup of all critical data.
• Local onsite backup of the system image to a portable hard drive.

2. Perform a test restore of at least one file from the backup media each
month and protect all computers using uninterruptible power supplies
(UPS).

3. Have a separate workstation or laptop off site that could be used as a

t
temporary solution
l ti iin case allll work
k stations
t ti iin th
the office
ffi are d
destroyed.
t d
Agent
g Technology
gy Services

Thank You

Jim Sifflard, Director

jsifflard@firstam com
jsifflard@firstam.com
617-772-9253