Introduction
July 19, 2024, was a crazy day for IT professionals. Computer systems worldwide were brought to their knees by an update that went wrong from CrowdStrike, a popular endpoint protection company mainly for large businesses. The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) would appear when the systems booted up. That incident took down computers in significant companies like airports, government organizations, healthcare organizations, and more. I personally helped to get computers back online. I can say firsthand how simple the fix was but how complicated it was to implement because systems had to be worked on one by one physically, i.e., no remote connections.
What caused the incident? A faulty CrowdStrike update on Windows operating system computers caused the worldwide systems outage. The fix was simply to delete one or more update files.
The CrowdStrike/Windows incident showed how dependent we are on computer systems and how much we take them for granted. Even though the typical computer user or small business would probably not be running CrowdStrike, we still may be affected by a severe outage in one way or another. It could be a failed hard drive, malfunctioning router, or faulty system memory that keeps your computer from working correctly and prohibits you from accessing your applications and data.
Safeguarding your data and access to it is crucial in today’s digital age. This is where disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity (BC) plans come into play. Usually associated with large corporations, these strategies are equally important for home users and small home businesses. Though small businesses and consumers would probably not use software such as CrowdStrike, they still rely heavily on their computer systems to perform their daily tasks.
Disaster Recovery Plan
A disaster recovery (DR) plan is a structured approach for responding to disasters that threaten your data and access to it, such as cyberattacks, hardware failures, or natural disasters. The primary goal is to preserve your data, applications, and IT infrastructure as quickly as possible. For home users, this might mean having a robust backup system in place. Regularly saving copies of essential documents, photos, and other data to external drives or cloud storage can protect your data if your primary device fails.
For home businesses, a DR plan becomes even more critical. It should include data backups and steps to recover business operations swiftly. That could involve having spare hardware or redundant internet connections. Testing the recovery plan periodically to ensure its effectiveness is also crucial.
Business Continuity Plan
Business continuity (BC) planning encompasses a broader scope than DR. It ensures that all critical business functions can continue during and after a disaster. This includes IT, human resources, communications, and other key business areas. For example, having a system for remote work can keep operations running even if your physical location becomes inaccessible.
Home users and home businesses need to establish a DR and BC plan too. A DR plan will ensure that irreplaceable photos or documents are protected. A DR plan will also safeguard precious financial and client data for home businesses.
A BC plan will help keep home-based businesses going even during a disaster (e.g., a power outage). Home users can benefit from the philosophy of a BC plan by thinking about what you would do in case your computer or data becomes inaccessible. How would you do your banking or other online resources that you rely on regularly?
The point is that you will not start from ground zero if a disaster comes. It is better to be prepared even if you’ve given some thought to handling disasters. Even if your solution is crude, it is better than nothing at all.
Do you have a portable charger for your phone and laptop? Do you have a battery backup for your computer system? You should ask yourself those and other questions to help you be better prepared for a disaster.
Conclusion
In conclusion, disaster recovery and business continuity plans are not just for large corporations. Home users and home-based businesses face unique risks that these plans can help mitigate. By implementing robust DR and BC strategies, you can protect your data and ensure operational continuity despite unexpected challenges.
A disaster recovery and business continuity plan is beneficial for home users and home-based businesses. They are not just for the big boys. Give some thought to what you would do if a disaster affected access to your computer and resources. Think of how you would adapt to the situation and start putting things in place to be ready.
It’s like insurance. You have it in case something bad happens, but you hope you never have to use it.
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