10 Tough Disaster Recovery Questions for CIOs
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Productivity Plunge
"What are we risking if core applications go down for a day, a week or longer?" -
Metrics-Minded
"What will happen to key data in the event of a disaster?" -
Guarded Stance
"How are you currently protecting facilities and applications, and are you protecting them the same way?" -
Classified Catastrophes
"Against which types of disasters are we guarding?" -
Grading Period, Part I
"What was the scope of the last test of the recovery processes?" -
Grading Period, Part II
"What were the results of our latest full recovery test?" -
Comeback Plan
"What are the recovery time objectives by facility and application?" -
Information Assurance
"How is the security of enterprise data going to be protected during the event and the recovery processes?" -
People in Place
"Who are the key decision-makers in the recovery process?" -
Regulatory Response
"Does the recovery plan meet all compliance objectives?"
What's worse than having a CEO and board of directors grill you about your disaster recovery plan? Well, not having a good answer for every question, especially if they're asking after the worst has happened, as opposed to before. Given that the future of your organization (not to mention your career) is at stake here, we're presenting the following 10 questions that every CIO should be ready to address about the company disaster plan. Compiled by Janco Associates, the questions cover everything from data and application protection to business continuity to recovery-plan personnel to testing procedures. It's all part of Janco's e-book, Disaster Recovery Business Continuity Template, which is available here. Among other objectives, the e-book explains how to recover both the physical network and applications during a disaster, while minimizing dollar loss, operational interference and other frequent, business-draining outcomes of these events. With thorough, advance preparation to cover every single base, you'll find that instead of planning for the worst, you'll be ready for it. For more about Janco's list of 10 questions, click here.