Feels great to be getting back to “normal.” For IT specialists and computer service providers, that means preparing for any potential disaster, including an act of nature, cyber crime, terrorism, or other emergency. Now that you are heading back to the office for the most part, it is time to review your IT security and disaster preparations.
Evaluate Your Datacenter’s Security
Once your team (or even part of your team) is back in the workplace, it is important to re-evaluate your security measures. Review who has access to your network and what passwords are being used. You may also want to update software which will hold the latest security patches and measures for your work stations and devices. Be sure to communicate the changes to those whose access will be impacted.
Make a Plan for Continuity
In the case of a security breach, natural disaster, widespread outage, or any disaster that could bring your business down, most companies will rely heavily on the ability to continue on in the face of the catastrophe. To do this there needs to be backups of critical programs and data that can be quickly accessed. This requires a stringent backup regime that can mean the difference between going down for a few hours and a few weeks. Talk to your IT manager about how to tighten up your continuity plan and ensure that your plan is ready to be set in motion should the worst come to fruition.
Focus on Prevention
The best way to avoid a disaster is to try and prevent it from happening in the first place. Conduct regular audits and system checks of your fire prevention and safety systems. Assess your risks and potential business impacts to determine ways you can be most effective in disaster planning.Part of your prevention should be a risk assessment completed by your IT specialists who can tell you where your vulnerabilities lie, whether it is in human error, cyber security, or in external threats. Part of your disaster plan should also include a listing of where each piece of data is being stored and who can gain access to backups for that data. Include a listing of emergency contacts and who should be made aware of any downtime and how to enlist the help of employees to get back on your feet again. It may be easy to assume now that the workforce is getting back to “normal” that these things will be taken care of. That would be presumptuous. Check in with your IT department and confirm that backups are occurring regularly, security protocols are being reviewed, and that your regular disaster preparedness model is still being followed. If you need help in these areas talk to our specialists at Spectra Networks about how to get back to work with security and preparedness in min.
