Would you class COVID-19 as a Disaster?

For chunk of my career I have spoken to companies regarding disaster recovery plans and majority of plans (for companies that have them) focus on infrastructure lose and ransomware. This pattern has been driven from the Wannacry crisis of 2017 which seen non-IT professionals understand the workings of ransomware. But what about your buildings?

I started my IT career in 2010 where DR plans were not called DR plans, backups were mostly still on tapes and disasters were classed as a building fire or flooding, in other words, loss of a property. This very idea of property loss seems very unlikely but still possible.

Over the last ten years, I have seen first-hand the backup and DR strategy turn from manual and hardware driven processes into automation and software defined models that are somewhat taken for granted. The key to all backup and DR plans is testing! Test test test. The failure of a recovery could result in the failure of a company. Something that can be avoided for a clever and small investment in comparison to the potential lose. To put this into perspective, what is the value of a digital carbon copy of the business you have spent years/decades building? Priceless maybe? But what about the building.

COVID-19 has seen the temporary loss of buildings in the UK and around the world through lockdowns leaving business functions only being able to operate where work from home strategies are in place. I chose the words “in place” because for the vast majority of scenario’s, work from home strategies are possible. Ten years ago, this might not have been an issue as many data recovery plans focused on the loss of a building rather than the loss of infrastructure. My estimation is that companies that have such plans covering the loss of a building, have suffered the loss of a building in the past. The question moving forward is, would you class COVID-19 as a business disaster? The definition of a disaster is “A sudden accident or a natural catastrophe that causes great damage or loss of life.” COVID-19 is naturally spread and is causing great damage as well and loss of life. So, do your DR plans cover such an event? I bet they do now!

To highlight what is possible from a disaster recovery perspective in IT.

1. Infrastructure backups – Carbon copies of servers can be taken and updated on the fly so the point of restoration can be anywhere from 6 seconds to 1 hour before the point of disaster.
2. Infrastructure recovery – Simply the time is takes for your servers to boot. 10 minutes maybe on semi-modern hardware.
3. Workstation – IGEL release a mobile USB workstation in December 2016 allowing user to have a fully managed workstation in their pocket. Something they can plug into almost any computer and instantly across their desktop.

Of course, this is based on a well maintained VDI platform with external access but as with a growing EUC market and Microsoft’s fast growing WVD platform readily available. The option to have a protected infrastructure and mobile work force isn’t just and option, it’s a very easy option.

As we now enter the era of home working where the tag line “Home working is here to stay” is thrown around by blue chip company leaders, many people will see this as a company benefit, and many companies will lose the opportunity to employ the best and brightest though not having a work from home benefit. I have consulted for many companies for over the years in my career and ultimately, for me, it comes down to one thing, what model works best for the way your business functions? Company leaders should know and understand IT disaster recovery plans regardless of technical ability so there are no surprises when a disaster hits.

So, what do you do?

1. Look at the business functions as a whole and take note of where IT plays a part and by how much.
2. Remember, the business functions through the use of technology. IT is no longer just a part of your business, it’s probably the foundation.
3. Take notice of what is possible, why and how. You might not be a tech whiz but everyone has the capability of understand that if this fails here, we can switch it back on over there.
4. Have the ability to recovery your entire infrastructure in a timescale that works for your business.
5. Find a way to work geographically in the event of a disaster and use the function to save money on building and travel costs (WFH/WAH).
6. Be forward thinking. Few people foreseen the closure of most UK offices all at the same time but maybe it is something someone thought about while sharing company war stories.
7. TEST! Test test test! Every part and every function and be a part of that process regardless of whether you’re an IT professional.

These 7 points are far from perfect and won’t suit everyone but they will hopefully get people who are accountable, responsible, consultative and informative for IT and disaster recovery functions to think about the wide picture and be prepared for another world disaster such as a pandemic.