Data Recovery Completes Disaster Recovery - 1702-15 - Disaster Recovery Journal

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Spring 2004 Issue

DISASTER RECOVERY
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Data Recovery Completes Disaster Recovery

By JIM REINERT

In the wake of several events in recent years, the topic of disaster recovery planning has taken on renewed importance. Small and large companies alike are being forced to evaluate their disaster responses for every level of their business. From human capital to facilities, office supplies to computer systems, there are a multitude of issues requiring immediate attention after a disaster. Re-establishing technology infrastructure is often considered the most important goal for maintaining business continuity. Employees need immediate access to documents, spreadsheets, presentations and especially e-mail – today’s most widely used business communications tool. But what happens when computers are up and running, yet no data can be found?

Challenges Facing Existing Disaster Recovery Systems
Most disaster recovery plans address contingencies for dealing with the effects of fire damage, floods, tornados and high winds, earthquakes, computer crime and even terrorist attacks. While such plans generally detail how to quickly and efficiently restore information technology systems and get people back to work, very few deal with the important issue of data recovery. The majority of disaster recovery plans only highlight data backup procedures and view the rebuilding of technology infrastructure as “rebuild from scratch using last full backup.” Different from data backup, data recovery is the process of recovering data from a corrupted source – whether that source is experiencing a software malfunction or it has suffered severe physical trauma – by locating files on the hard drive and recreating the file structure. In contrast to rebuilding from scratch, data recovery is a fast solution offering significant savings in both time and resources. As data backups only retrieve the most recent back-up copy, recovery retrieves the most recent files – a significant distinction when the typical back-up window for many companies is eight hours. Data recovery is an excellent compliment to any data back-up plan because it recognizes that errors occur and no back-up plan is perfect.
Although data backups are now commonplace and a vital part of an IT department’s standard operating procedure, any system has pitfalls making it vulnerable to problems. Chief among these is the cost of establishing and maintaining a working back-up system. Instituting a top-quality back-up system often means creating a regularly scheduled back-up procedure and storing the backups in a protected (alternate) facility physically separated from the systems it is protecting – often setting up mirrored sites on alternate power grids. Once in place, such systems must be tested regularly to maintain their integrity and ensure proper working order – a task many companies don’t have the time or resources to perform. Additionally, files are often missed in the backup process because the system does not update to match the company’s evolving data storage footprint and/or corrupted data is backed up and not recognized until attempting to restore.

Impact on Businesses
These scenarios can result in failed backups, leaving a company unprepared to deal with data loss situations. Without a solid data recovery plan as a component of their overall disaster recovery plan, businesses can waste valuable time searching for a data-loss solution.
The actual cost of downtime and lost data are staggering. According to a Cost of Downtime 2001 survey of companies:
• 46 percent said each hour of downtime would cost up to $50,000.
• 28 percent said each hour of downtime would cost between $51,000 and $250,000.
• 18 percent said each hour of downtime would cost between $251,000 and $1 million.
• 8 percent said each hour of downtime would cost more than $1million.
The cost of downtime can also have a direct effect on the very survival of a company. According to the same Cost of Downtime survey, when the participating companies were asked at what point the survival of their business was at risk:
• 40 percent said 72 hours.
• 21 percent said 48 hours.
• 15 percent said 24 hours.
• 8 percent said eight hours.
• 9 percent said four hours.
• 3 percent said one hour.
• 4 percent said within the hour.

Available Solutions
Such statistics reveal the importance of acting quickly when faced with data loss. The misconception that data cannot be recovered after a disaster causes unnecessary panic, work and wasted time. Computer users and many experts often consider lost data permanently destroyed, with no hope of recovery. Additionally, because much information about data loss and recovery is inconsistent or inaccurate, such concepts are often extremely confusing and misunderstood. The fact is that existing technology offers options to recover data from the most unlikely situations in as quickly as a few hours.
Whether a tornado throws a computer 100 yards through the air, a flood drowns the hard drive, or a virus wreaks havoc through an entire system, data recovery is always possible. Even when all other attempts to restore data have failed, recovery can retrieve data feared lost forever.
Alerting experts immediately provides the best chance of recovering data quickly and getting a business back on track. By being proactive a company can save both time and money addressing data loss before it happens. More importantly, it can establish peace of mind and better ensure the continuity and health of its business.

Jim Reinert serves as director, software and services, for Kroll Ontrack. In this position since December 2002, Reinert handles the technology and business development, and product line management of the recovery services and software business lines. Reinert has been with Ontrack since 1987, involved in many aspects related to the development and sales and marketing of Ontrack Data Recovery products and services.

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