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Step 4: Outsource?
Once the plan is in place, one of the most crucial decisions is whether IT has the expertise and resources to implement the project or if outside help is needed. Forrester reports that most of the enterprises surveyed found that implementing a DR plan required more work than expected. Gartner's Scott says a quarter to a third of large enterprises outsource DR, while three-quarters of midmarket firms do.
"It may not make sense to invest in a full-blown plan," says Scott. "When does the risk become high enough? For the midmarket, outsourcing is very appealing. You can reduce overall costs and still protect the business."
If the decision is to seek help, consider using systems integrators or complete outsourcing services. Some firms deal with preferred partners, while others use an RFI/RFP process.
At Telco Solutions, Bajaj says the company's decision to switch from doing its own tape backup to outsourcing DR was obvious. The company hired Toronto-based managed service provider Asigra.
"It was a no-brainer," Bajaj says. "We're a manufacturer. Our competency is not IT. We want to do what we're good at. I don't want to hire guys, paying $60,000-$70,000, to manage this stuff when I can outsource it for 50% of the cost. I don't want to depend on an employee; I'd rather rely on a company."
Step 5: Update
Business changes constantly, and so must any DR/BC plan. Periodic reviews are necessary to make sure changes to the IT infrastructure don't make plans moot. Are new business lines covered by the plan? Have discontinued services been removed from the DR scenario?
Business leaders and IT need to consult regularly to keep things current. They should review existing technology annually and new technology whenever it is introduced. Reassess threats on a periodic basis, both what they are and what their potential impact is.
Disaster recovery should be considered part of change management, Krojnewski says.
At LifeGift, updating the DR plan as technology changes is easy; the company was pleased enough with CompuCom that it outsourced all of its IT to the firm.
"Disaster recovery turned out to be only 7% or 8% of the planned investment," says Ballmer, who has effectively become the company's CIO. "We did it for a lot less money than they [business executives] expected, and we cut the recovery time objectives."
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