Three ways to protect critical data from natural disasters

Due to numerous catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Sandy in 2012, the creation of business continuity plans has often been considered since the last decade.

These plans seek primarily to protect physical assets and supply chains, but effects on critical data and information are often ignored; however, protecting these data and recovering them after a natural disaster is an aspect that is becoming more and more important and should therefore be among the priorities for action.

Here are three key ways to protect your valuable data:

1. Storage in the cloud. Hurricane Katrina taught us how important it is for an organization to place backup servers away from their primary data centers so that, in case of a regional disaster, the event does not eliminate both servers (those in the office and those outside her).

A good measure, and more economical than physical servers, is to store the information in a cloud, since it can offer you great storage capacity and allow you to recover data quickly.

However, the cloud also has its drawbacks: to what extent can you rely on a vendor to protect your copy of sensitive information? It is critical to examine how providers copy and protect their own systems.

2. Evaluation of the data recovery plan. As with any other aspect of your business continuity and recovery plan, it is important that you regularly evaluate your ability to retrieve stored data. Consider both the management of a crisis event and the conduct of a drill.

Testing the data recovery or restoration mode can help you identify deficiencies in your plan and correct them before a real crisis can occur.

3. Suppliers. A major disaster can expose the vulnerabilities of any organization in addition to its physical supply chains. Evaluate in detail your business continuity plan and that of your main suppliers, and do not forget to confirm the preparation of these and the merchants.

Many businesses rely on external agents to provide data services or processing; for example, retailers typically process credit card transactions through third parties.

Are these marketers putting the same attention on data protection as their physical vendors in securing the resilience of the supply chain - and who do you in data security? If the answer is "no", your organization may be vulnerable and should prepare your business partners from now on in implementing strategies.

Accessing your organization's data quickly after a disaster can make it easier for you to collect critical insurance compensation for business continuity. Data protection is a fundamental part of any business continuity plan, do not forget to make sure!