By Sam | October 15, 2014

5 Great Disaster Recovery Tips For Credit Union CIOs

You can’t anticipate every disaster, but preparation and testing will go a long way towards recovery when an event does occur.  Credit unions should embrace the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared” when it comes to their Disaster Recovery (DR)/Business Continuity Plan (BCP).  Some Credit Unions perform testing on a quarterly basis, though most do it annually.  Sadly, some don’t test at all.  Validating your DR plan can only be done by testing on a regular basis.

Here are five tips to help you “Be Prepared”:

• Document your network.  This is more of a requirement than a tip, and should be done regardless of whether you test or not.   In order to recover your network, you need to know exactly what you have and where it goes.  In addition to a network diagram, you should also document your hardware, software, and what applications run on which server.  That information can then be used to build a server restore matrix to assist in the order of recovery.
• Perform testing with your third-party vendors.  In addition to your core system(s), your third-party connections, such as shared branching, ATM’s and online banking, are equally important delivery channels for members to access their accounts and should be tested.
• Test your restores.  System backups are a necessity.  But how confident are you in the quality of those backups?  Not testing the restore of your backups is the same as not having a backup at all.  Sure, you may get lucky.  But do you really want to take that chance during an actual event and tell the person standing over your shoulder during the restore/recovery process the data is corrupt?  Test your restores monthly to ensure the quality of data, as well as knowing how to restore the data.
• Train your staff.  Speaking of backups, staff should be cross-trained in the recovery process (either solo or under direction).  Inevitably, an event will occur when you’re out of the office.  Will your staff be prepared?  Testing is the perfect time for training!
• Consider the Cloud.  Moving systems, email for example, to the Cloud doesn’t remove the need to manage the systems or perform backups, but it can make disaster recovery a little easier.  It only takes one time of restoring/recovering an email server to realize the benefits of a hosted email solution.  The cloud isn’t for every system or application, but should be considered to determine if it could lower the costs of some systems and reduce the impact of a disaster.

Testing the recovery of an entire network is a daunting and overwhelming task.  But, it doesn’t have to be.  By implementing the above tips into your DR plan, you’ll have better results when you test, as well as become familiar with the recovery process when it’s needed in an actual event.  Prepare for Disaster:  Recover Faster.

Ongoing Operations is committed to the recovery of your data and information assets during a crisis. Should you have any questions and concerns, please reach out to discuss.