Decision-makers continue to accumulate massive volumes of digital data and resources because of their ongoing use of digital technologies. For this reason, executives need to emphasize the importance of keeping these assets safe at all times, regardless of unforeseen events and uncontrollable circumstances. In other words, companies must have a disaster recovery program in place if they are to survive the unforgiving nature of the world.
A recent report by BizTech Magazine highlighted several tools that are emerging to help organizations improve their business continuity strategies. By implementing a broad range of cloud services, including a hosted PBX system, off-site storage and other infrastructure tools, decision-makers can improve their odds of successfully operating through and beyond crippling emergencies.
In the past, these on-demand solutions were not available to the private sector, which is why many executives have yet to fully adopt an effective disaster recovery mentality.
“Having dedicated equipment that matches everything in the production environment but sits unused 90 percent of the time is an expensive proposition,” said George Ferguson, marketing manager of continuity services at HP, according to BizTech Magazine. “The stars have aligned around virtualization, the cloud model and lower-priced disk storage.”
Understanding what goes into a disaster recovery program is the first step in adopting the right tools for the job, the news source said. Because each industry and organization within those fields is unique, decision-makers must identify what they intend to get out of a business continuity plan. If a company is heavily reliant on collaboration, for example, replacing an old phone system with hosted offerings will likely provide numerous benefits.
Cloud and disaster recovery
Unlike traditional on-premise tools, cloud-based technologies can be managed off-site in a secure environment, away from any natural or man-made occurrences that can threaten mission-critical information. Old phone systems were often limited in their ability to provide backup support in the event of a fire, flood, tornado or some other emergency, according to another No Jitter report. When the PBX or IP PBX is unavailable, telephone connectivity is non-existent.
The virtual PBX offers a distinct advantage over other strategies, as it can manage all traffic. While allowing employees to use mobile devices to make calls can work during a power outage, decision-makers need to understand that this won’t resolve the issue when customers or partners try to contact the business, No Jitter said.
Communication is often considered the lifeblood of the private sector. Without the ability to efficiently speak with customers, colleagues and partners, nothing would get done. For this reason, companies should consider using hosted PBX solutions to ensure collaboration demands are met at all times, regardless of external circumstances.
Forward-thinking decision-makers understand that the cloud can be used for more than just basic infrastructure technologies, as the hosted services can improve the likelihood of surviving a natural or man-made disaster.