Protect Your Company's Data from a Zombie Apocalypse

November 3, 2014 Aerocom

Now that we have all experienced the terrifying “zombie crawls” and “zombie walks” of this Halloween weekend, let’s consider how we would really respond to a zombie apocalypse… How would we protect ourselves and all of our precious belongings? What would happen to all of our important records, financial documents, and business data?! How can we recover from zombie attacks and carry on with our normal lives?!

That’s easy… Disaster Recovery! A disaster recovery plan will restore your data and other valuables exactly how they were before the traumatic, life threatening zombie invasion.

It is well understood that data backup and disaster recovery are not the same thing. Data backup is simply storing your data in an offsite location, while disaster recovery is the process of accessing your stored data and utilizing the cloud to restore your IT infrastructure to a full functioning capacity. Most companies already have data backup operations in place. Great. What about the recovery part?

Have you considered how you will recover your data in the event you need to utilize your backup?

Forbes makes an insightful comparison, “Steven Covey states it best in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: ‘Begin with the end in mind.’ The same goes for data backup and disaster recovery. You have to back up your data as if you will one day need to get it back.”

Most of us do not have the means to resume all of our company’s applications, data, hardware, electronic communications and other IT infrastructure. Restoring ourselves to a full functioning capacity could take weeks! Not only would we lose out on generated income, but we would also pay a great deal for new processors, servers and replacement hardware. The scary stats found by a University of Texas study reports, “that only 6 percent of companies suffering from a catastrophic data loss survive, 43 percent never reopen and 51 percent close within 2 years.”

Here are the two main reasons companies do not have a disaster recovery plan:

Many companies mistakenly believe that their routine back up operations will save them in the event of an outage or disaster. Don’t be one of those companies.
Disaster Recovery is expensive. Companies do not want to pay the hefty premium on a service they cannot see the immediate benefits of.

Everyone assumes disaster recovery is outrageously expensive. Well… it can be. This doesn’t mean it has to be. Here’s a quick guide on How to obtain affordable Disaster Recovery for your company:

The key is to understand how providers construct their pricing model. Most providers charge for two separate services: the data storage and the server recovery.

The first service will depend upon the amount of data you need backed up and stored off site. This is typically set on a scalable pricing model that is contingent upon your current storage needs.

The second service is associated with the servers, processors, and IT specifics your company requires to function. Providers will literally “recreate your environment,” enabling you to continue operation as if nothing ever happened. In the event of a disaster, your business will begin to utilize the cloud, hosted by the equipment (servers, processors, etc.) the provider has purchased for you off site. Since the provider has reserved this equipment for your use, they typically charge you the full cost of this arrangement – even if a disaster has not occurred.

Why pay for reserved equipment if it has not yet been put to use?

Certain providers understand this dilemma and want to make disaster recovery as easy and affordable as possible. While it is still necessary to pay for the first service, the data backup you are currently using, these providers have compromised costs on the second service. They are willing to charge only 20% of the cost required to reserve equipment for you – until you actually need it. They only time you are required to pay the full amount for using their equipment is if you literally use it!

What’s the catch…?

There is no catch. We know, this is just as unbelievable as a zombie apocalypse! These heaven-sent providers still guarantee to have your business up and running within four hours of a disastrous occurrence. They will optimize your recovery time objective as well as your recovery point objectives. There is hope. You can afford “true” disaster recovery! …and your company could survive a Zombie Apocalypse.

Click the button below to have an AeroCom expert send you a quote on the top 3 Cloud Backup solutions for your company. It’s free!

Sources: Forbes, StevenCovey.com, OnlineTech, FreeRepublic.com