So, there’s the infographic: be sure to click on it and download the entire graphic so you have it to hand (just so you know, it’s a PDF). Additionally, we go the extra mile for you here at Venom IT, too: we’ll give it all to you in words below.
Read on to see how the Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery comparison really shakes out.
Head to Head: Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Comparison
Business Continuity |
Disaster Recovery |
|
Definition |
Business continuity is the long-term plan of action to ensure stability in your organisation before, during and after disruption or disaster. | Disaster recovery is the strategy to reduce the impact of a disaster and the recovery of critical IT systems. |
Business Aspects |
There are 3 main types of risk:
BC is more strategic and looks at sorting and prioritising risks, and pre-emptively avoiding or reducing risks. |
Disaster recovery is the ability to solve the problem and get your business back on track as quickly as possible. It focuses on technology and your IT systems.
Disaster recovery plans usually include a ‘playbook’ of specific actions or step-by-step procedures to initiate under specific circumstances. DR leans more towards handling risks that could only be mitigated (e.g. DDoS attacks, or nation-state attacks) or those that cannot be avoided at all (e.g. flooding or fire). |
Risk Factor #1 |
Cyber SecurityThe world we live in today is filled with cyberattacks that are well documented in the media. Large organisations have experienced well-publicised breaches in their servers over the past few years. |
Theft of dataThe increase in remote working has resulted in a lot of sensitive corporate data being accessed from employees’ personal devices which can be ‘accidentally’ shared or accessed by unwanted parties. |
Risk Factor #2 |
Physical securityThe general rule is to know what you’ve got! You can’t secure something you don’t know you have. From video surveillance to fire alarms – you need to fully know your physical security system. If disaster strikes, it’s important to check and test all physical securities for future proof. |
VirusesThe most common culprit behind massive data loss remains viruses from email. Having data backups is crucial in this sense. That way, you can at least ensure you have data recovery systems capable of restoring any lost or compromised data. |
Risk Factor #3 |
Economic and financial risks675,000 businesses have fallen victim to fake invoice fraud in the UK*. Businesses need to raise their standards in their financial risks to put in place policies, tools and systems to enable business continuity following large-scale data theft or loss. |
Malware and ransomwareMalware is growing year on year and can affect systems, backups and storage. Should an organisation be subject to ransomware, one decision a company must make is whether to pay the ransom. Many cyber insurance companies will cover this cost, but are these questionable practices in an ethical sense? |
Risk Factor #4 |
ComplianceCompliance and risk systems are often deprioritised within the business continuity plan. However, industry regulators are now fining companies for non-compliance, regardless of the disruption and costs that organisations are already facing. |
Cyber-attacksIdentify what is lost and the extent of the damage. What was attacked, which controls failed? A post-incident report will expose the root cause, what was affected, and the extent of the damage. This will ensure no other vulnerabilities are at risk. |
Risk Factor #5 |
Unsecured networksUnsecured networks often lack any sort of protection and any information transmitted across the network is unencrypted for someone to hack. Should your system be attacked on an unsecured network, the main aim is to ensure that a network is restored to its normal state as rapidly as possible. |
Natural disasters and pandemicsFire, floods, COVID; all should have a backup plan to recovery. Whether that’s a remote desktop, a cloud backup or a virtual machine to work on. Your natural disaster recovery plan should be up to date, practised, and subject to regular testing. |
Risk Factor #6 |
Accidental deletion of dataWe’ve all been there. Most cloud storage systems will back this up as well as virtual machines giving you a machine’s entire configuration state, which can be reverted back to if needed. |
ReputationBy having documented business continuity plans during the recovery process, it is easier for an organisation to manage user sentiments during a hacking incident. |
Risk Factor #7 |
Human errorHuman error accounts for nearly half (47%) of all major IT disaster recovery mistakes. Your employees are your first line of defence, yet many companies fail to train their staff in their security responsibilities. |
Learn more about our Business Continuity vs Disaster Recovery series
Follow the link below for an infographic of what a good disaster recovery and business continuity plan should look like. You can also discover some more of our insights on digital transformation, and expert guidance on the key platforms your business relies on:
- Infographic: Digital transformation explained
- Brand Battle: Citrix vs Azure.
- Brand Battle: VMware vs VirtualBox.
Learn more about how you can make the most of cloud services to support, enhance, or protect your IT infrastructure. Contact us on 0330 202 0220 for a free demonstration.