Floods, bushfires, earthquakes, nuclear disasters — if those events in 2011 didn’t demonstrate the importance of having a good backup and disaster recovery solution, I don’t know what would. But a recent survey suggests that plenty of businesses still haven’t got their backup strategy sorted.
Chances are you have a backup regime in place to ensure you don’t lose crucial work information from your computer systems. But do you have a plan that includes where everyone will work in the event of a major emergency? One recent study suggests the answer is probably “no”.
iPad: Having a plan for what to do if your business suffers a natural disaster or other emergency such as a break-in makes sense, but many organisations never get around to creating one. MyBizShield, an iPad app developed by the Australian government, simplifies the process by walking small businesses through the elements needed to create a recovery plan.
As the slide above illustrates, organisers for Linux.conf.au 2011 had to work through a pretty extensive to-do list when the Queensland floods meant that the original venue was no longer available. In just 10 days, they managed to relocate the whole conference and associated events. Their experience reinforces two crucial points: the importance of having back-up plans, and the importance of being willing to change almost anything at the last minute.
