Data Storage Systems IT Storage Solutions Disaster Recovery



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Data Storage Systems, Inc (DSS, Inc). staff are experts in...data backup ,data protection
management, data storage networking, data availability replication, data restore and
data storage virtualization.

Disaster Recovery:
At DSS, Inc. we formed the "3 P's" for Disaster Recovery. Disaster recovery is the
process, policies and procedures related to preparing for recovery or continuation of
technology infrastructure, critical to an organization after a natural or human-induced
disaster of any kind.
Disaster recovery planning is a subset of a larger process known as business continuity. Planning includes the resumption of
applications, data, hardware, communications (such as networking) and other IT infrastructure. A business continuity plan (BCP)
includes planning for non-IT related aspects such as key personnel, facilities, crisis communication and reputation protection, and
should refer to the disaster recovery plan (DRP) for IT related infrastructure recovery / continuity.
This article focuses on disaster recovery planning as related to IT infrastructure.

Data Storage Systems, Inc. has data from various sources, that it is estimated most large companies spend between 2% and 4% of
their IT budget on disaster recovery planning. Aiming to avoide larger losses in the event that the business cannot continue to
function due to loss of IT infrastructure and data. According to one source, companies that had a major loss of business data, 43%
never reopen, 51% close within two years, and only 6% will survive long-term.

Before deciding on disaster recovery strategy, the disaster recovery planner should refer to their organization's business continuity
plan. The businesss continuity plan indicates the key metrics of recovery point objective (RPO) and recovery time objective (RTO).
For various business processes (such as the process to run payroll, generate an order, etc) the metrics specified for the business
processes must then be mapped to the underlying IT systems and infrastructure that support those processes.

Upon completion of the RTO and RPO metrics and been mapped to IT infrastructure, the DR planner can determine the most suitable
recovery strategy for each system. An important note DSS, Inc. is aware of and that is the business or organization ultimately sets
the IT budget and therefore the RTO and RPO metrics need to fit with the available budget. While most business unit heads would
like zero data loss and zero time loss, the cost associated with that level of protection may make the desired high availability
solutions impractical.

DSS, Inc. lists the most common strategies for data protection.
Backups made to tape and sent off-site at regular intervals (preferably daily).

Backups made to disk on-site and automatically copied to off-site disk or directly to off-site disk.

Data replication to an off-site location thus elimating the need to restore the data (only the systems then need to be restored or
synced). This generally makes use of storage area network (SAN) technology. Either Fibre Channel (FC SAN) or iSCSI SAN.

High availability systems which keep both the data and system replicated off-site, enabling continuous access to systems and data.
In addition to preparing for the need to recover systems, organizations must also implement precautionary measures with an
objective of preventing a disaster situation in the first place. These may include some of the following:
Local mirrors of systems and/or data and use of disk protection technology such as RAID
Surge protectors — to minimize the effect of power surges on delicate electronic equipment
Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and/or backup generator to keep systems going in the event of a power failure
Fire preventions — alarms, fire extinguishers
Anti-virus software and other security measures
Data Storage Systems, Inc. has a depth of experience with networked storage solutions, and is uniquely qualified to help you form a
comprehensive business continuity plan designed to maximize uptime, protect data and applications, reduce TCO, and simplify
management.

To find out more about our business continuity solutions, request a free consultation, please call us toll-free at 800-519-4737 or
email: sales@datastoragesys.com to get in contact with one of our experienced sales consultants.
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