Do you work for a tech startup? Does your startup have a disaster recovery plan? If not, read on.

What is disaster recovery?

Disaster recovery (DR) is an organization’s ability to restore access and functionality to IT infrastructure after a disaster event, whether natural or caused by human action (or error). DR is considered a subset of business continuity, explicitly focusing on ensuring that the IT systems that support critical business functions are operational as soon as possible after a disruptive event occurs. 1

As someone who has experience working in fast-paced tech startups. I know that focusing on rapid growth can sometimes lead to overlooking critical operational aspects, such as having a disaster recovery plan (DRP).

There are several reasons why a startup might ignore or overlook having a DRP, including:

• Constantly prioritizing shipping features that lead to immediate gains.
• Lack of awareness about the consequences of not having one.
• The startup hasn’t yet faced its first major disaster, leading to a false sense of security.
• Resistance to investing time and resources into planning for hypothetical scenarios.
• Lack of relevant expertise or guidance, which leads to procrastination in planning and implementing disaster recovery.
• The misconception that disaster recovery is only necessary for large corporations.

None of the reasons above justify not implementing disaster recovery. A simple human error, such as an employee executing a dangerous command, can kill the startup and everything it has been working for over its lifetime. Disaster recovery is an essential aspect of risk management in any organization, regardless of its size.

If you are part of a startup that still doesn’t have a DRP, it’s important to speak up. Share your concerns, and educate your team and management about the importance of disaster recovery. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated when the company faces a disruptive event and can recover from it with minimal damage.

Essential steps for implementing disaster recovery:

• Evaluate potential threats and identify the most critical system components that require protection against disasters.
• Create a plan that outlines the following:
  • The necessary actions to protect these components, such as preventative measures and data backups.
  • The procedures for responding to different types of disasters.
  • The individuals responsible for executing these procedures.
• Ensure that everyone understands their role during a disaster and knows how to execute the recovery procedures.
• Regularly update your backups to minimize the damage caused by data loss during disasters.

Please note that these are the minimum steps. Depending on the nature of your business, you may need to include additional steps or details in your DRP.

Remember, a well-implemented DRP can be the difference between minor damage and a catastrophic failure for your organization.

Conclusion

I hope this post has been an eye-opener. The importance of disaster recovery cannot be overstated. It’s not just about surviving a disaster, but also about maintaining trust and ensuring business continuity. A minor effort now can prevent a major crisis later. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Good luck!