A Primer for Disaster Recovery Planning in an IT Environment (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Since its birth in the 1950s, the business recovery industry has continued to broaden, moving from original batch application processing on mainframes to include recovery for telecommunications connectivity, distributed processing on mid-range systems, and most recently, network and work area recovery. Whenever accidents, disasters and natural events interrupt business activities, one thing is certain: businesses lose money. How much money often depends on how prepared companies are for dealing with business interruptions. This primer is intended to help businesses plan for an occurrence that could mean a business stoppage. It helps you evaluate your business in terms of vulnerability to disaster and guides you through the process of creating a disaster recovery plan.

From the Author

Since its births in the late 1970s, the business recovery industry has continued to broaden, moving from original batch application processing on mainframes to include recovery for telecommunications connectivity, distributed processing on mid-range systems, and most recently, network and work area recovery.

Whenever accidents, disasters and natural events interrupt business activities, one this is certain: businesses lose money. How much money often depends on how prepared companies are for dealing with business interruptions. A current, well-planned and well-rehearsed disaster recovery plan often spells the difference between smoothly and quickly returning to business as usual or reeling from the devastating repercussions for months or even years.

Any event that interrupts business due to the loss or denial of information required for normal operations qualifies as a disaster. A disaster recovery plan (DRP) is a blueprint for recovering from these events. It does not seek to duplicate a business. Rather, its intent is to increase the chances of survival and to decrease the effects of the loss.

Disaster recovery planning is not a trivial process. In addition to the extensive set of tasks that should be performed, it is filled with potential pitfalls that even the best-meaning, intelligent people in the organization can overlook. Regardless of whether the plan is developed using internal expertise, external professionals can help. DRP is an essential process for companies. Simply put, it just might be a matter of corporate survival.

Besides the standard reasons, legal requirements, customer opinions, competitive edge, responsibility to stockholders and employees, and other frequently touted justifications, why bother with DRP? Disaster recovery and contingency planning are not just for big business. They are not just for data centers or networks. Every business including personal business can benefit from the reasons not often considered.

The basic elements preceding and supporting recovery preparedness make good and economic business sense. Usually with less start-up effort than anticipated, disaster recovery planning can improve the business, reduce recurring problems and, through reduced downtimes and better managed processes, should pay for itself.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: IGI Global (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878289810
• ISBN-13: 978-1878289810
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,230,813 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disaster Recovery Planning, July 20, 2000

By	"[e-mail]" (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews

As an IT Manager for a mid-sized (140 emp) company, I found the primer to be extremely helpful as a starting point for planning. Hiatt clearly explains the nature of risk and planning. Statistics are lengthy but drive the point home. Most importantly, she reveals that DRP isn't only about IT.

If you are an IT person in charge of starting the process, this is an excellent primer that points out all the other areas you have to consider. Hiatt outlines in 100 pages all the elements of research, planning, implementation, and maintenance. She reveals who should be involved in the process and what type of people should maintain the accuracy and currency of the plan. She even gives criteria on how to choose your team. Hiatt references many times throughout the manual when/how/if to use an outside consultant and off-site storage facilities. The following 150+ pages of vendor listings, charts and appendices are extremely helpful. She doesn't just write about planning, but gives you the checklists, plans, and questionnaires to help you get started. It will be much easier for me to use some of her lists and customize for our needs instead of having to write it all from scratch. Plus, she gives a thorough objective listing of vendors which saves me from searching the Internet. As Hiatt recommends, I will continue to research but, her primer will be my main reference. I can now get started without buying expensive software.

23 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Review for A Primer For Disaster Recovery Planning In An IT, June 28, 2000

By A Customer

The book has very little meat to it, although it has 200pg it ends on page 100 and gives you a bibliography. It does not go deeply into how to develop a disaster recovery plan. The second half of the book pretains to irrelevant information.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Primer for Disaster Recovery Planning, September 26, 2002

By A Customer

reader who want to start their DRP, and do not know where to start with, this is the book that you can kick off with your DRP meeting with this guide. A good book that you can trust and work around with your IT DR on this subject.

Case studies, project timelines, statistics, organisastion charts of a DRP, and some questionairs and forms help readers to quickly have all these information in your finger tips.

As a planner, I find it very useful too. It also act as a check lists of your current planning and be sure to cover as many area as possible. The Appendix is very useful that provide flowcharts, charts, diagrams, forms, questionair, procedures and more.

A book that should not be miss.