Disaster Recovery Software: 8 Questions To Ask Before You Make a Selection

When selected intentionally and proactively, disaster recovery software solutions can enable organizations to respond faster to disruptions, simplify their recovery efforts and maintain business continuity during adverse events. The choices you make today can make all the difference in how well your organization can rebound from a crisis in the future.

To make the most informed decision, you must start by asking the right questions. Before you pick your disaster recovery software, ask these eight questions to help set your team up for success.

1. Do I Already Have a Disaster Recovery Plan in Place?

A disaster recovery plan establishes the framework for protecting and recovering an organization’s systems and resuming operations quickly after an unexpected event.

It is a must-have before making decisions related to disaster recovery software because your selections will need to align with your overall plan from the very beginning.

Your disaster recovery plan will help determine how much data can be potentially lost in the time leading up to the disaster and reveal how long your organization could be out of business—critical factors you’ll need to understand when picking disaster recovery software solutions.

2. Can I Select and Implement Disaster Recovery Software Solutions Myself?

The answer to this question will ultimately depend on the expertise that you have on your in-house technology team. If you have a resident disaster recovery expert on staff, you may be able to rely upon your IT team to make these selections.

However, if you do not have a professional on staff who specializes in disaster recovery planning and backup solutions, enlisting the help of an outside expert at the beginning of your journey will ultimately reduce your risks and save you time and money.

Experienced technology consultants can provide invaluable assistance and an objective third party perspective by looking at both the big picture and all the small details to help you make informed decisions from the start. With their help, your organization can execute a proactive, strategic approach to disaster recovery, giving you the confidence and peace of mind to effectively run your business for years to come.

3. What are My Organizational Needs?

The best disaster recovery software for your specific organization will depend on factors such as the size of your organization, your critical systems, your data, your risks and the proficiency of your IT department. Knowing these organizational needs beforehand is essential for disaster planning and selecting your software.

4. Which Disaster Recovery Software is Compatible with My Existing Infrastructure, Software and Systems?

Ideally, any disaster recovery software solutions you select should be able to integrate easily with your organization’s existing infrastructure, software and systems. Some solutions may not offer enough of the features you need, while others may provide too many unnecessary ones. Knowing what critical applications and data are essential for continuity, and ensuring this aligns with your overall backup strategies and storage methods is also a key compatibility factor.

5. Could This Disaster Recovery Software Scale with My Business as We Grow and Change?

As your organization matures, your IT needs will change. Having a system of solutions that can be easily realigned with your organization’s evolving landscape can lead to faster recovery times and lower operation costs.

Cloud-based disaster recovery software solutions can outweigh traditional disaster recovery solutions because they can leverage the reliability and elasticity of the cloud to implement any necessary disaster recovery operations as your organization evolves.

6. What are my data backup needs?

Identify what your backup needs are and compare your software options to your requirements.

Does the software you’re considering back up your data for both cloud and on-premise workloads? Does it do so efficiently? Can it restore data to any point in time, such as moments or months or years before the disaster occurred?

A good disaster recovery software should have multiple rapid recovery options so you can minimize downtime and data loss as much as possible.

7. What are my Replication and Redundancy Needs?

Along with regular backups, the continuous, real-time data replication of data to alternative sites, including the cloud, creates a solid foundation on which to begin restoring your systems after a crisis. Replication should include applications, databases, individual files as well as any virtual and physical machines.

Building redundancy into your IT infrastructure to limit single points of failure also provides a good starting point for recovery.

Your disaster recovery software should facilitate built-in redundancy to address any failure points that occur in the system, such as with power, network paths, servers, etc. This helps to ensure high availability of these components to withstand outages and to provide continued processing for critical applications.

8. Which Disaster Recovery Software Has Failover Mechanisms?

Choose a disaster recovery software that has failover mechanisms that automatically switch to a backup recovery site and already has replicates of the data and systems from your main site. The automation of the failover processes aids in making the switch seamless and helps to minimize downtime.

Learn More about Disaster Recovery Planning and Disaster Recovery Software

Your organization’s ability to be resilient during and after an unexpected disruptive event depends on many factors, including having the right disaster recovery plan and software in place ahead of time.

Warren Averett Technology Group can help your organization better position itself to withstand the unexpected by helping you choose the right software as part of your comprehensive disaster recovery plan. Contact one of our technology experts today to get started.