Business Continuity Planning vs. Disaster Recovery Planning
In case of a catastrophic event, whether natural or man-made, a sound business continuity/disaster recovery (DR/BC) strategy can make the difference between a business glitch and a calamity. Progent's DR/BC consultants can help small and mid-size companies design and test a contingency plan that incorporates advanced technologies and proven processes to get back in business quickly after a catastrophic network failure while at the same time working within a restricted IT budget.
The terms "business continuity planning" and "disaster recovery planning" are often used interchangeably, but it is useful to distinguish them. Business continuity planning takes a high-level, holistic view of a business to determine what personnel, physical resources, and operational processes are required to keep an organization running at some minimally acceptable level after a catastrophe and how to restore normal operations efficiently. Business continuity planning takes into account information technology issues, which are vital to any business, but also addresses areas beyond computing. Will you need temporary office space? Substitute vehicles? Alternate vendors? Replacement personnel? Do you have an emergency notification system in place to alert workers and other stakeholders? Are you required to file regulatory reports or contact insurers? Do you need access to emergency funding?
Progent can provide the services of experienced consultants who can help you follow best practices to create and document a high-level business continuity plan that deals with these critical questions and provides a cohesive game plan to follow in case of a disaster.
Disaster recovery planning is more focused on information technology issues and involves the down-to-earth details of how to keep your crucial IT operations running, protect your data, and restore full network functionality as quickly as practical. Progent can provide the services of a certified IT professional who can help you create and implement a disaster recovery plan that utilizes the latest generation of technologies designed to provide a high degree of fault tolerance and recoverability at historically low prices.
What Is Involved in Developing a Disaster Recovery Plan?
It is still relatively rare for small businesses to have a comprehensive business continuity plan in place, but only businesses with an insatiable appetite for risk should go without a disaster recovery plan. Disaster recovery planning should address the IT resources needed to maintain a defined level of operational capability and restore full network functionality as quickly as practical. The plan should anticipate a broad variety of disaster scenarios such as fires, storms, earthquakes, chemical accidents, flooding, pandemics, loss of key personnel, equipment or system failure, human error, and cyber crime.
You should assess the worst-case impact of each of these disaster scenarios on your network infrastructure and business processes and prioritize the areas that are most critical for you to protect in order to limit business disruption to an acceptable level. For each scenario, you should develop a recovery strategy that addresses your local and remote workers, customers, vendors, facilities, hardware and software, communication services, support contracts, and lead-times for replacing equipment and services and restoring data. Your recovery strategies should include specific action plans, escalation procedures, and data retention and restoration policies. You should also test the plan and train your employees responsible for carrying it out.
Progent's Process for Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan
Progent has developed an effective and affordable process for helping small business create a viable disaster recovery plan. This process involves seven distinct phases:
Phase 1: Business Impact and Risk Analysis
In this phase, you differentiate between critical and non-critical organization functions. A function is critical if its loss for any significant period of time would result in damage that stakeholders regard as unacceptable. You can't realistically decide that all network functions are critical because you have to consider the probable cost of establishing and maintaining rapid business or technical recovery solutions. You also have to take into account that some functions may be dictated by law or contractual obligations. Progent can help you make informed prioritization decisions by assessing the cost and timing issues associated with various recovery strategies.
Once you have identified critical organization functions, you have to establish two values for each function:
The Impact and Risk Analysis phase results in the recovery requirements for each critical function. The recovery requirements consist of:
Phase 3: Solution Design
The goal of the Solution Design phase is to identify the most cost-effective disaster recovery solution that meets the requirements identified in the Business Impact and Risk Analysis stage. For your critical IT applications, this means determining how the minimum application and application data requirements can be restored within the target timeframe. Disaster recovery plans may also have to address areas beyond IT applications. A common example is the requirement to preserve information in hard copy format. Progent's expertise with Microsoft and Cisco technology, business application programming and support skills, experience providing Internet data center consulting and network management services, and extensive background helping small business recover from catastrophic network failures ensure that the solutions Progent proposes take full advantage of advanced technology to keep costs down while maximizing the chances of success.
Key areas defined in the Solution Design phase include:
Phase 5: Testing and Verification of Technical Solutions
Testing and adjusting recovery plans for specific anticipated scenarios is another critical element of a viable disaster recovery program. The complexity of fault-tolerant networks requires rigorous testing to verify that a recovery plan is feasible and that assigned responsibilities are understood. Recovery exercises will show whether backed-up data can be usefully restored, alternative connectivity technology provides adequate performance under realistic loads, fault-tolerant technologies perform failover processes as planned, and IT staff knows what is expected. Testing exercises will help you identify weak points in your recovery plan so you can make adjustments before disaster strikes. Progent's experience with system design and support ensure that the Testing and Verification phase of a disaster recover plan is thorough and meaningful without being unnecessarily protracted and costly.
Primary areas involved in the Testing and Verification phase of a business continuity plan include:
Phase 7: Handover
The handover of a turnkey disaster recovery solution includes three activities:
CRISC-Premier Network Risk Mitigation
The CRISC certification program was established by ISACA in 2010 to validate a consultant's skills to design, implement, and support information system controls to mitigate network risk. Progent offers the expertise of a CRISC-certified engineer to help you to create and carry out a workplace continuity strategy that follows leading practices identified by CRISC and geared to align with your organization's risk appetite, business goals, and budgetary guidelines. To learn more, see CRISC-Certified network risk management experts.
Microsoft Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering
Microsoft Windows Server 2019 incorporated important improvements in scale, performance, manageability, cybersecurity, application compatibility, Linux support, container networking, and hybrid integration of local and cloud-hosted resources. Headline enhancements of Windows Server 2019 are Windows Admin Center for unifying the management of hybrid on-premises/cloud-hosted deployments, System Insights for taking advantage of advance predictive intelligence to control local networks, Windows Defender ATP (Advanced Threat Protection) Exploit Guard for host-intrusion defense, container orchestration using Kubernetes, Cluster Sets for deploying and administering massive non-stop scale-out clusters, and Microsoft's Storage Migration Service for streamlining the upgrade process from outdated releases of Windows Server. For more information, go to Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering Support.
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery/business continuity experts can assist you to design a disaster recovery solution based on Microsoft's most advanced Failover Clustering tools such as Cluster Operating System Rolling Upgrade for non-intrusive migration to Windows Server 2016, Storage Replica for zero-data-loss recovery, Storage Spaces Direct for enterprise-class network-attached storage using low-cost hardware, Virtual Machine Load Balancing for enhancing the performance and resilience of Failover Clusters while reducing capital investment and management overhead, and Cloud Witness for fast, economical deployment of a failover cluster quorum witness. For more information, see Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery Support.
VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Disaster Recovery Solutions
VMware's Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is a component of VMware vCenter that allows you to specify, automate and test a repeatable runbook for recovering applications and services rapidly following a breakdown. SRM supports centrally controlled and automated disaster recovery, application mobility, and non-intrusive site migration, failback and re-protect. Site Recovery Manager also supports non-disruptive testing for disaster recovery, updates and patches and can produce audit reports to verify full service recovery, validate Service Level Agreements and demonstrate DR compliance. Progent offers the skills of a VCDX certified VMware Site Recovery Manager consultant to assist you to plan, configure, test and manage a DR solution based on VMware SRM.
NetApp MetroCluster Disaster Recovery Software
NetApp MetroCluster is a disaster recovery software suite that uses array-based storage clustering along with continual replication to deliver rapid, zero RPO disaster recovery between datacenters located as far as 185 miles away from one another. Progent offers the skills of a certified NetApp MetroCluster expert who can assist your business to plan, deploy, administer, upgrade, test and troubleshoot a disaster recovery solution based on NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you to choose an architecture for your MetroCluster deployment that meets your functional requirements and budget. Progent can make sure you follow leading practices for configuring your MetroCluster solution by delivering guidance with procedures such as assigning disk pools, arranging plexes layout, setting up FlexVol volumes, setting up NetApp Snapshot, provisioning Cisco and Brocade switches, implementing a tiebreaker, designing a configuration replication network, and testing your DR solution to prove compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
Fault Tolerant Load Balancing
Progent provides high availability load balancing support that addresses system load balancing, load balanced programs, LAN/WAN infrastructure routing, and content delivery technology including Cisco Content Engine. Fault tolerant load balancing products for which Progent can provide consulting services include Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 Server Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Metaframe and Access Gateway, Cisco CSS, Cisco Content Distribution Manager and Cisco CDN Software, and F5 Networks BIG-IP. To read more, see Non-stop Load Balancing.
Fault Tolerant Colocation
Progent's Data Center engineers can show you how to find fault-tolerant data centers that meet the specific needs of your company. High availability off-site data centers are particularly attractive to small and mid-size companies due to of their low cost and simplified logistics in comparison to pursuing a do-it-yourself strategy. Trying to design an in-house data center with even a minimum level of fault tolerance is financially prohibitive for most small companies. Progent is ready to show you how to reap all the advantages of 24x7 colocation centers by offering a full array of consulting and support services. For details, visit High-Availability Internet Data Centers Consulting.
Fault Tolerant Branch Office Networking
Progent's multi-site network infrastructure consultants can help companies create zero-downtime branch office connectivity solutions through fully redundant system architectures with transparent failover. Progent's Cisco-premier CCIE engineers can design and deploy fault-tolerant Inter-office connections supported by zero-downtime EIGRP routers or non-stop OSPF deployment of Cisco routers. Progent can show you how redundant connectivity and transparent fail-over offers economical 24x7 interoffice networking. For details, see High-Availability Interoffice Connectivity.
High Availability Internet Connectivity
Progent's Cisco-authorized network experts can show you how to build an economical, fault tolerant Internet configuration architecture that can deliver 24x7 Internet connectivity through a broad array of fault tolerant Internet access technologies including fault tolerant BGP, transparent fail-over, and multiple Internet Service Providers. Progent offers Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert consultants to show you how to utilize the latest technology for 24x7 Internet connectivity to implement a cost-effective, completely redundant Internet interface with automatic failover and other capabilities to deliver zero-downtime Internet availability. To find out more, visit Non-stop Internet Connectivity Solutions.
Backup and Restore Solutions Consultants
Progent can provide economical remote support from engineers with expertise in a broad array of utilities and technologies that deliver solutions for backing up Windows, Mac, and Linux/UNIX servers and workstations plus notebooks and handhelds. Progent can provide consulting support for leading data protection products such as Acronis, Backup Exec, BackupAssist, CrashPlan, Double-Take, MozyPro, Retrospect, Time Machine, VMware Data Recovery (VDR), and Oracle Solaris FLARs. Progent's consultants can assist your company to design, enhance, or troubleshoot data backup solutions for a variety of architectures such as on-premises, remote, cloud-based, or a mix. To learn more, go to Backup and Restore Solutions Expertise.
System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) Backup and Recovery Consulting
Progent's certified System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) consultants can assist your company to create an effective workplace recovery plan, design an affordable fault-tolerante network infrastructure, deploy a SCDPM-powered backup and recovery solution, thoroughly validate your system, train your administrative personnel or regular consultants how to maintain SCDPM, or provide extensive information technology support outsourcing such as remote housing of System Center Data Protection Manager machines in Progent's world-class data center facility. To read more, go to System Center Data Protection Manager Consulting.
Barracuda Backup Local, Offsite and Cloud Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is a low-cost, subscription backup/restore platform for small and medium-size businesses. A Barracuda Backup solution can include a custom-designed hardware appliance manufactured by Barracuda or a software-based appliance with similar functionality but which uses your existing storage infrastructure. Barracuda Backup protects critical business data produced locally, at one or more remote locations, or in the cloud. For disaster recovery, you can replicate data to the Barracuda Cloud, to Amazon Web Services (AWS), or to any site with a physical or virtual Barracuda Backup appliance. Progent is a certified Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consulting experts can provide a wide range of consulting support services to assist you to design, configure, manage and repair a backup and disaster recovery system based on Barracuda technology. For more information, visit Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consulting and management.
ProSight DPS Altaro VM Backup Solutions for Backup and Disaster Recovery
Hornetsecurity's Altaro VM Backup software offers small businesses a reliable and budget-friendly platform for backing up and recovering Hyper-V and VMware-powered virtual machines (VMs). Altaro VM Backup can be deployed in local, remote, distributed, and cloud environments and also enables cost-effective cloud backup to Microsoft Azure Block Blob storage. Progent is a certified Altaro partner and offers a broad range of online or on-premises consulting services to help you to plan, deploy, optimize and troubleshoot a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery solution based on Altaro VM Backup. With ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup, Progent offers a fully managed backup/restore service based on Altaro VM Backup. To find out more, visit Altaro VM Backup certified consultants.
ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup Services for Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 provides rudimentary archiving but does not include integrated support for key data protection capabilities such as Exchange backups or long-term point-in-time data recovery for OneDrive or SharePoint. Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup (formerly branded Altaro O365 Backup) provides a full-featured platform for automatic backup and quick restoration of all your company's M365 mailboxes, Teams Chats, SharePoint sites, OneDrive for Business data, and content on Windows desktops and laptops. Progent is a certified Hornetsecurity/Altaro partner and has designed ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup to provide end-to-end management services for Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup suite. ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup delivers an affordable backup-as-a-service solution that guards M365 components against data loss resulting from human or software error, malicious deletion, and cyber attacks such as ransomware. For more information, visit ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup services for Microsoft 365.
Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO
ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO from Progent provide small and medium-sized businesses a low cost end-to-end service for reliable backup/disaster recovery. Available at a low monthly cost, ProSight DPS ECHO automates and monitors your backup activities and enable fast recovery of vital data, applications and virtual machines that have become unavailable or damaged due to hardware breakdowns, software glitches, natural disasters, human mistakes, or malware attacks such as ransomware. ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO can help you protect, recover and restore files, folders, applications, system images, plus Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware virtual machine images. Critical data can be protected on the cloud, to a local storage device, or mirrored to both. Progent's backup and recovery specialists can provide advanced expertise to set up ProSight DPS ECHO to be compliant with regulatory standards such as HIPAA, FIRPA, and PCI and, whenever needed, can help you to recover your business-critical data. Read more about ProSight DPS ECHO managed cloud backup.
ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup Services
Progent can help you to create, deploy and debug a backup plan based on MSP360 technology. MSP360 enables file/folder or image-based backup/restore for virtual machines and physical computers, works with all leading public clouds, and permits you to create a backup solution with a low Recovery Time Objective and a granular RPO. With ProSight DPS 360 Backup, Progent can provide comprehensive monitoring and remote management of your backup environment to protect against data loss caused by user mistakes, computer errors, malicious insiders, and external assaults such as ransomware. For details, visit ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup services.
Consulting Services Double-Take Solutions for Data Backup and Recovery
Double-Take Software publishes a family of products designed to deliver small and midsize businesses a variety of cost-effective alternatives for replicating and recovering vital applications including Microsoft Exchange, SQL, RIM Blackberry, and SharePoint. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants have in-depth backgrounds incorporating Double-Take technology into small business information networks to achieve an advanced state of fault tolerance and business continuity capability at a budget-friendly cost. To find out more, visit Consulting for Double-Take Solutions for Data Backup.
Why Choose Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning Solutions?
Since Progent is a Microsoft Partner and offers professional application consulting for a wide range of small business software programs, Progent is able to help customers to arrive at efficient information technology solutions that substantially enhance the productivity of your IT network. As a Registered Partner with Cisco, Progent offers the expertise of certified engineers and specialists with experience in designing, deploying and maintaining networking environments based on Cisco technology. The broad scope of Progent's IT know-how and Progent's familiarity with the requirements of small and midsize businesses make Progent the ideal resource for creating and maintaining a cost-effective, high-availability information system.
How to Access Progent's Consultants for Business Continuity Solutions Support
In order to ask Progent about engineering help for business continuity solutions, call