Business continuity and disaster recovery often get thrown together as if they are under the same umbrella, and while each reinforces practices that all organizations should embrace, they have their differences and require individualized approaches.

The key distinction between them is that business continuity is primarily focused on business operations and keeping them going regardless of outside influences, while disaster recovery is responding to a specific situation in such a way that data is recovered and the IT infrastructure is not compromised so much that it impacts an organization’s ability to function.

But which should get priority? It’s a valid question and an important one because they are both vital (and often thrown into the same acronym – BCDR), but most IT experts will say that because business continuity is the foundation of a business’s disaster planning, it should be at the top of your strategy.

Limiting Downtime

Downtime is something all businesses want to avoid, but today, most would go a step further and say downtime is entirely unacceptable. There are innumerable reasons for downtime, but business continuity is the proactive measure organizations take to get ahead of such things as cyber attacks, bad weather, human error, hardware problems, and software bugs.

The first step is to completely evaluate risks associated with your unique situation and do a business impact analysis. This will determine the severity of internal and external risks and provide a roadmap for the path you should take going forward.

Allowances for Change

All good plans have flexibility built into them. The same is true for business continuity and disaster recovery plans. Threats evolve, situations change, companies grow and shrink, hardware and software are upgraded – every aspect involved in change needs to be accounted for in your ongoing strategy.

One commonality in all great business continuity and disaster recovery strategies is that they are tested frequently. Whether it’s a simulation, tabletop training, or checking specific backup strategies, testing the plan for loopholes is a great way to find areas that require changes before something bad happens.

Outsource Your Technology Expert

At Cloud Source, we’re a leading technology services agency that helps clients like you find the solutions that matter. There are so many features and tools that it can be exceedingly difficult to find that custom fit.

That’s where we step in. Our comprehensive knowledge of solutions for business continuity and disaster recovery will have you covered, so contact us today and let’s schedule a consultation.