Step One
Identify the needs of your organisation and your user :
Do I need daily backups?
– Do I need all of the data on my network to be backed-up?
– What system do I require for making those back-ups?
– Do I need a hot-site?
Are there any requirements that a particular group may need? Don’t take anything for granted.
- What information must be saved at all costs?
- Who will conduct the back ups and how often?
- Where will these back-ups be kept?
- What systems best suits your needs and budgets?
- Analyse the potential risk and which departments’ information is vital.
- Who is overall responsible for the plan?
Step Two
Identify your needs for a disaster recovery system.
What equipment will I require? Will I require tape or another media to back up to?
– How much will it cost?
– How much will it cost to maintain and support?
– Consider future options – you may be looking to open another office or expand your current operation. As a result you will need to ensure that whatever you purchase now will be able to meet your future requirements.
Step Three
Identify the right supplier.
- Use Conjungo’s ‘Find a Disaster Recovery Supplier’ search facility on the right hand side of this page..
- Look through magazine and online reviews.
- Talk to others who have recently installed an e-mail archiving solution in the same area as you.
- Use forums, networks and personal contacts to obtain recommendations.
Ask questions such as:
- Who has the experience of working with a company of the same size and profile as yours?
- Are any of those suppliers local to where you are located?
- How many similar installations have they made?
- Ask for references – ensure that the company is capable and reliable.
- Talk to a couple of their customers in order to see what benefits have been gained and what pains those
- customers went through when installing the system.
- Obtain a credit check to ensure that they are financially stable.
Step Four
Request a detailed proposal from three or four of your preferred suppliers.
- Set a deadline for when you need the proposal back.
- Give out details in advance as necessary to ensure that the suppliers you have selected can give you the best proposal.
- Go and meet them in person – get a good feel for whether you will be able to work with them.
Step Five
Select a supplier.
- Who best demonstrates that they understand your business and your requirements?
- Is the solution flexible and scaleable and therefore able to meet future demand? You don’t want to find out later that by investing a little more money now you could save money in the long term.
- Is it cost effective? Have they shown how and where you will save money?
- Does it clearly demonstrate the functional benefits – rather than just listing particular features? Does the proposal clearly show what the benefits are? There is no point on spending money for a system full of features that are of no benefit or that you will never use!
- Have you spoken to a couple of your preferred suppliers’ customers?
- Agree on financial terms – Will the service be payable monthly or annually?
Step Six
Implementation, testing and go live
- Install the new system. Only when you are entirely satisfied should you pay any balance outstanding on the invoice. This way, if there are any problems, your supplier will sort them out as a matter of urgency.
- Don’t forget to account for user training!
What can I expect to gain by implementing a disaster recovery service?
This is a particular conundrum as it may well be that you will never be required to use the disaster recovery service and you hope very much that you will never need to.
However, in the event of a catastrophic incident, it could potentially pay for itself many times over. To illustrate, a taxi driver can see that paying hundreds of pounds for an insurance policy that he (hopes) will never be used is over period of years is potentially wasted money. But what happens if he has the need to invoke this policy but has not paid up?
In this case, you will only ever recognise any financial benefits in the event there is a disaster. Remember the statistic quoted from the London Chamber of Commerce.