Just 33pc of Irish companies have completed disaster recover plans to cope in the event of a natural disaster, hardware or software malfunction or even something as simple as a road closure or a telecom problem.
The survey by Cork-based internet services provider Strencom reveals that a shocking 55pc of companies with no disaster recovery plans have multiple locations throughout the country dependent on a central IT service centre.
The survey reveals that 67pc of Irish companies have failed to put completed disaster recovery plans in place, despite the risk to mission critical IT services and the possibility of substantial system downtime after a disaster.
“It is surprising that such a high number of companies have been slow-paced regarding disaster recovery planning, particularly given their complete dependence on access to data to keep the business live,” said Strencom’s managing director, Tim Murphy.
“Despite this, as directors are held more accountable for data loss, they are actually driving the implementation of co-located IT frameworks to support data recovery.
“Ultimately, disaster recovery planning is not something that you can forget about once you complete it. The best recovery plan is a live recovery plan; one that is tested and exercised regularly.
“The key focus is the continuity of the business. This can mean backing up mission critical data, decentralising IT and increasing the mobility of resources,” Murphy added.
When considering co-location services, security (48pc) and easy access to the data centre (31pc) are the main concerns for companies.
“As information and, importantly, access to information become the cornerstones of business success, the co-location of critical IT services is being recognised as essential,” Murphy emphasised.
“From basic online backup to outsourcing all IT services, data centres are playing a pivotal role in disaster recovery planning,” Murphy concluded.
By John Kennedy
