How the cloud saves businesses from disaster

Whether it’s cyber attackers bringing down your servers, natural disasters, faulty hardware or human error, disasters are bound to happen. It’s not really a question of “if” but “when” a disaster will strike.

These events can throw an unprepared organization into panic mode. Don’t let this happen to you. Take proactive steps by asking the following:

  • Is your enterprise prepared for a disaster?
  • Do you have an actionable disaster recovery plan to follow?
  • How can you restore business-critical data and keep running?
  • Does your organization utilize the cloud for disaster recovery?
Disaster recovery is a company-wide concern

Simply defined, disaster recovery is the process in which a business implements a plan that allows it to function after a disaster occurs. For more information on creating a disaster recovery plan for agencies, be sure to check out “Does your agency have a disaster recovery plan?”

Businesses should consider implementing a disaster recovery plan and dedicate resources and processes for it. Often enterprises solely rely on IT teams for disaster preparedness, but it should be a company-wide concern. Key stakeholders should include IT, management, operations, finance, security and vendor management.

Company-wide education – how each team should react and carry out the plan – is vital to get your enterprise up and running after a disaster.

Disaster recovery and the cloud

Here are four ways that the cloud helps businesses recuperate when the vultures are circling:

1. Saves data

Cloud computing is virtual by nature so one of the benefits is storing data remotely. Consider the following:

  • What if your city was impacted by a natural disaster such as an earthquake?
  • What would happen if your onsite servers and back-up servers were damaged?
  • How can you access this business-critical data?

Having your data in the cloud allows you to access it remotely and not to fully depend on on-premise hardware that could be damaged. Cloud computing means virtual back up and the potential for increased redundancy. In other words, if one server goes down, you’ll have access to another server in the cloud.

2. Saves time

One of the main points of disaster recovery is accessing your business-critical data to restore your organization’s normal operations. The cloud provides a faster way to get that crucial data back on track.

Business continuity – the continuous operations of your organization – must be factored into your disaster recovery plan. Some backup systems are tape-based and require a long time to access. Your enterprise needs to be up and running as soon as possible after a disaster. The cloud augments the agility of restoring your data quickly; for example, networking into a remote location via the cloud.

This means you always have your backup ready and standing by in the cloud, which can assuage concerns.

3. Saves money

Backing up your enterprise in the cloud means less expenses devoted to hardware and software, given the reduced reliance on physical, onsite servers and backup software and services. Cloud hosting also gives you the opportunity to leverage the latest updates and releases without making new outright purchases time and time again.

Some enterprises lack the resources to fully dedicate a team solely to disaster recovery. Your organization may consider teaming up with a cloud technology partner who can provide a custom assessment for your backup needs.

4. Saves headaches

A cloud tech company can also provide extra security with your data. This partner has the expertise in making sure your cloud data is only accessible for you and your trusted partners and secure from cyber criminals looking to steal valuable information.

Post by Roger Park

Roger Park is a writer and marketing consultant based in Los Angeles. Previously he was the blog editor for the YP corporate blog and a staffer on the Yahoo! search marketing blog. He also served as the news editor for iMediaConnection. His articles have appeared in Huffington Post, Wired, LA Weekly, Los Angeles magazine and various publications.