how to convince the exec team to spend on disaster recovery

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Disaster Recoveryexcellent, affordable protection

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How to convince your exec teamto spend on disaster recovery

www.planb.co.uk


Introduction

If you’re responsible for the IT systems or operations of your business, you’re likely the best person to understand the importance of minimising IT downtime for your business.

Are you heavily reliant on your IT systems or can you afford to be without them for a few days and not risk letting clients down?

IT and operations directors often feel maintaining IT uptime is critical but they don’t have the resilience in their system that they would like.

The biggest prevention to minimising IT downtime in businesses is lack of priority of budget.

How can you combat this?


Disaster Recovery Exercise

• Insist on carrying out a full end to end recovery exercise.• Make your real systems inaccessible while you perform this.• Do it at a time when users, and the business, will feel the

impact e.g. start it at 4pm.• Involve the exec team so they go through it with you.• Keep a record of the recovery time and recovery point and

match it against your objectives.• Log down the challenges as you come across them, and what

improvements you would make• Review fully with the exec team, and discuss whether RTO,

RPO, your solution or process needs changing


Prepare a business case

• To convince the finance director you’ll need to put together a business case

• Calculate the cost of IT downtime to your business using our calculator

• Present a disaster recovery solution with costs.• Calculate how many hours of IT downtime this DR solution will

save you.• Demonstrate a true saving to your business.

Plan B is happy to help prepare your business case– just ask.

http://www.planb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IT-downtime-calculator.xlsx

http://www.planb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IT-downtime-calculator.xlsx


An independent disaster recovery specialist can perform a business review of your business continuity plan and often help convince the board to prioritise disaster recovery:

• Discuss the plan you have – the good and the bad points

• Review the market and technology available

• Demonstrate trends and what other companies are doing

• Support you in your decision and help promote it

• Get buy-in from the execs

When you do have a disaster your execs will thank you

Get an independent review


Often there is an attitude of ‘we’ve coped this far’, but think:

• Have you used up your luck? IT downtime is inevitable – will it be tomorrow? The average business experiences 2.7 instances a year of IT downtime.

• Utilise any cost savings from taking a risk, to secure your business moving forwards.

• Can you afford to be without your IT systems for days even weeks? Think of the impact on your clients and loss of revenue.

• Overall you’ll still be saving money as you’ll be reducing IT downtime.

Justify immediate action


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how to convince the exec team to spend on disaster recovery

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