The Disaster Recovery Items Few Consider

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some small-scale disaster recovery items for smaller businesses

As owner/operator of a small ASP (Application Service Provider), I thought I would share a few tidbits. We don't have a full-scale enterprise to worry about, but there are plenty of things that we do that minimize our exposure.

1. We have our own (locked) cabinet at a colo, with our own KVM, various tools, a worklight, and our own UPS (despite the fact that the colo has plenty). This means that we can have guaranteed access to our servers, etc. -- we don't rely on a few shared "crash carts", which will be in HEAVY DEMAND when stuff hits the fan.

2. Everything in our office is on UPS (except for laser printers; we can still print on inkjets that use less power).

3. All employees and contractors have good UPS setups for working from home. Several of these folks can realistically host a small workforce at their location, as they have generator backup. The only real exposure is Internet access, which is somewhat mitigated through use of different ISPs.

4. In addition to KVM access at the colo, we have KVM-over-IP for monitoring boot sequences, etc. Again, for when stuff hits the fan.

5. We mirror data at a *geographically distant* location.

6. Watch for single points of failure, and get rid of them.

7. Use 3rd party services for hosting DNS, email, your corporate website, etc. For a modest monthly fee, they will provide highly redundant systems that are resistant to denial of service, weather-related outages, etc.

8. By using 3rd parties for email, corporate website, and DNS, your company will still appear mostly "alive" even if your application servers are offline. In fact, you can use your regular website to explain to your customers what is going on. So obvious, but so many firms host their website on the same equipment as their application servers.

9. Keep print-outs of ALL information needed to access critical resources. For example, our instructions for colo access tell you where to park, which colo techs are most helpful, what cellphone services work while in the colo, etc. These documents are under "code control", and current print-outs are kept in a couple of well-known places. Obviously, passwords are not printed, but oblique references/clues are provided so that the right people know what to use.

Hope this helps.

Posted by: johnradams   Posted on: 09/22/08  (Edited: 09/22/2008 @ 08:57) You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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