Disaster Recovery Slowly Becoming a Priority

May 30, 2007: A new survey of American businesses has found that despite suffering through natural disasters, cyber attacks and the threat of terrorism, 30 percent of businesses are still neglecting proper disaster recovery preparation.

Conducted by AT&T, the business continuity study canvassed opinions of 1000 information technology executives from companies with US$10 million in annual revenue.

It found that 66 percent of respondents believe business continuity is a priority, while 70 percent have written plans to deal with disruptions. 53 percent have updated their plans within the last 12 months while one out of three respondents overall say business continuity is not a priority.

“These results should help serve as an early warning that businesses in our community can do more to protect their employees as well as their ongoing business operations,” said Patrick Reay, sales centre vice president, AT&T Global Business Services in Minnesota. “Tornadoes, floods, fires, blackouts and man-made disasters, such as cyber attacks, can all have devastating consequences. Having a plan in place can minimize the impact of such disasters.”

While the results show an improvement in awareness and a more pro-active attitude towards business continuity, the also show that more still needs to be done to ensure solid disaster recovery capabilities.

“Even a relatively minor disruption in essential network infrastructures can quickly lead to the collapse of vital business processes and ripple through an entire industry,” said Reay. “Regularly testing and updating a plan and incorporating cyber security as a component of the plan can help secure a company's ongoing business operations.”

AT&T recommends that every business not only develop a business continuity plan, but also test and update annually. It also says employees should be educated and backup sites established to ensure continuous operations.

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