You get only one chance to respond to a weather catastrophe. According to Al Berman, senior vice president and leader of the national business continuity management practice at Marsh, IT organizations of every size should test their disaster recovery strategies regularly. He offers the following tips.1. Back up all critical data at least daily, including data to redundant servers, network drives, and tape or optical drives. Backups should be performed more frequently for data that cannot be reconstructed from any other source.2. Back up laptops and ensure that critical data is not stored on C drives but is stored to network servers that are backed up and stored offsite. Many businesses fail to realize the importance of data stored locally on laptops. Due to their mobile nature, they can easily be lost or damaged.3. Maintain copies of all backups offsite. This is especially important if an entire server is damaged or destroyed. SmartSync Software, Sun Microsystems and Veritas Software provide software that automatically backs up data to an offsite server daily. 4. Schedule regular reviews of computer security to help prevent unauthorized access, modification or deletion of data.5. Create a disaster recovery plan as part of a comprehensive business continuity plan. Related content feature Key IT initiatives reshape the CIO agenda While cloud, cybersecurity, and analytics remain top of mind for IT leaders, a shift toward delivering business value is altering how CIOs approach key priorities, pushing transformative projects to the next phase. By Mary Pratt May 30, 2023 10 mins IT Strategy IT Leadership opinion Managing IT right starts with rightsizing IT for value While there are few universals when it comes to saying unambiguously what ‘managing IT right’ looks like, knowing how to navigate the limitless possibilities of IT is surely one. By Thornton May May 30, 2023 6 mins Digital Transformation IT Strategy IT Leadership brandpost Designing the campus of the future starts with high-quality 10Gbps connectivity By Huawei May 30, 2023 4 mins Network Architect Networking Devices Networking feature Red Hat embraces hybrid cloud for internal IT The maker of OpenShift has leveraged its own open container offering to migrate business-critical apps to AWS as part of a strategy to move beyond facilitating hybrid cloud for others and capitalize on the model for itself. By Paula Rooney May 29, 2023 5 mins CIO 100 Technology Industry Hybrid Cloud Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe