How Managed Service Providers Support Disaster Recovery
Technology is the fuel that keeps our companies running, and any business owner knows that when that tech is down, you face loss — loss of time, loss of customers, and loss of money. That’s why a strategic IT plan — complete with cloud solutions for back-up and planning and a full disaster recovery strategy — is more vital than ever to all companies, regardless of industry.
Do you have the time, or IT industry expertise, to put together such a comprehensive plan yourself? Most companies don’t! And, aside from hiring a full-time, in-house team of IT experts, who could be expected to?
Fortunately for you, and millions of small- to medium-sized businesses just like you, Managed Services Providers (MSP) like Net3 IT, specialize in just that. As an integral part of the managed IT services provided by MSPs, planning, backups, and disaster recovery are managed entirely by an outside team of experts dedicated to maintaining your company’s IT security and recovering valuable information assets after a breach.
Data breaches happen, how you recover defines your company.
With an MSP, you can have peace of mind knowing that your company is well-prepared for the event ahead of time and that a disaster recovery plan is in place so that your business can survive the interruption with minimal downtime.
What is disaster recovery? A plan to follow in the event of a breach that ensures the integrity and safety of your company’s data. And it’s integral to the success of any company in any industry.
Allowing your managed service providers to strategically plan and implement disaster preparedness and recovery plans will not only streamline your company’s tasks and efficiency but will also improve your overall image to potential and current clients, employees, and stakeholders by demonstrating your proactive approach to IT security. You and your MSP will be able to work together to better identify the risks and potential losses, as well as opportunities for improvement in your IT structure and prepare your staff for the event of an interruption.
Disasters can strike your company at any time and without warning. Some are malicious, such as a bad actor performing an intentional hack or sabotage, while others are not, such as a fire or flood or even a power outage. But having a proper IT recovery plan with data backups and specific instructions for each employee is the best way to keep your company safe from the inevitable outages.
Working with experts in the IT industry, such as your managed service providers, is the only way to prepare for incidents that can cause significant company loss — and these are commonly overlooked by those not specially-trained to look for them. A few examples of potentially devastating interruptions are:
- Employee accidents
- Sabotage, hacks, or cyber attacks
- Natural disasters
- Power outages
- Communications failure
Your Managed Service Providers can help you prepare.
Having managed IT services from an MSP means that your IT services are managed by an outside expert. They’ll be responsible for your IT service and equipment and they will work with you to build custom solutions that fit your company’s needs.
Among the many things streamlined and managed by your MSP, an industry expert will manage and maintain the following:
- Firewalls
- Servers
- Switches
- Wireless networks
- Workstation Services
- End-User Services
- Telecom
- Backup Monitoring and Administration
This means that all the time, energy, and effort of maintaining your own IT services will be transferred to an expert service provider, and they will be able to monitor the vulnerabilities and opportunities for improvement for you. They will also already be the team of experts in your corner for an inevitable breach and will begin immediately implementing the disaster recovery plan you’ll have agreed to put in place.
In the event of an interruption, making sure that you move as quickly as possible to remedy the situation is of the utmost importance — so you can see why having a team of experienced experts at the ready is all the more vital for your company.
Ideally, your business will never need to implement a disaster recovery plan, but considering how many unforeseen circumstances are out of your control — and just how many things can affect the IT security of your company — do you really want to risk it? Your managed service providers can offer you the experience and training to keep your business prepared and ready to get back to productivity as quickly as possible.
In the event of a data loss or breach, your ability to stay productive and profitable will depend on the tools and plans you have in place ahead of time. Your disaster recovery plan will make all the difference in how you recover — and your MSP can be there to support you along the way, making the journey that much smoother.
At Net3 IT, we specialize in just that — helping local businesses meet any technological challenges that are thrown their way and ensuring they come out stronger on the other side. Our audits and disaster recovery planning will help you review your assets, network, and infrastructure while learning how to protect them. Call us today to learn how we can become the MSP you need in your corner in the event of an outage or interruption.