The Atlantic hurricane season officially began June 1^st and forecasters are predicting an extremely active season.  As we enter hurricane season 2013, I find myself reflecting on the last yearand the amount of devastation left by hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters. The word ‘disaster’ does not seem like a strong enough word when you see its impact on communities, businesses, people, and families.  Whether you are a business owner or a home owner, disasters leave a wake of destruction and often the extent of the damage depends on how prepared you were prior to the event.  For businesses, disasters can leave offices uninhabitable with no power or access to critical customer records.

Disasters can impact any size business, yet so many remain unprepared. I wonder if businesses that choose not to consider disaster recovery do so because they think it will not happen to them. We are seeing more and more extreme weather and more than ever businesses need a solid business disaster recovery plan. Regardless of the company’s perceptions, to ensure continuous data protection, businesses need to stop thinking of disaster recovery as an expense but rather a lifeline. Disaster recovery and business continuity planning should be viewed as an insurance policy. A disaster recovery plan is a company’s ‘insurance policy’ that ensures business continuity.

Disasters Can Happen Anywhere, Are You Prepared?

Disasters can happen anywhere, and with data multiplying by the day, businesses increasingly rely heavily on email, instant messages, social media, and other electronically generated information. What would happen if your office is damaged, loses power, or floods? Disasters are often out of our control, but you can be prepared with a backup and disaster recovery plan. Please read the following questions and ask yourself, are we ready?

Emergency Preparedness Checklist

• What electronically stored information can your business not afford to lose?
• How do you plan to access your data in the event of a disaster?
• Are you storing data offsite as an added layer of security and if so, are they maintaining multiple copies in geographically dispersing data centers?
• If email goes down, will employees know how to reach each other and will they have a way to communicate internally and with customers?
• How do you plan to access your records for regulatory examinations or eDiscovery requests if you lose power or connection to internal systems?
• Would a major data loss put your business or job at risk?
• Would data loss impact customer confidence or market share?

If reading these questions led to more questions than answers, your business is in need of a business continuity and disaster recovery plan.

Patrina Provides Continuous Data Protection

Your business data is the backbone of your entire enterprise. Data is precious but it’s often overlooked until there is a problem. Data is too valuable to just put aside and assume it will be there when you need it. To be certain, you need a disaster recovery plan. You need Patrina.

Reach out to Patrina today to speak with one of our data management and archiving experts. We will have you prepared for whatever the wind blows.