Types of Internet Disaster Recovery Plans

Recovery of lost Internet service depends on what went wrong.

Companies whose business depends on the Internet develop disaster-recovery plans to quickly regain secure access to the Web if their connection fails. Although a complete loss of service is rare, even a brief interruption or slow down may cost companies large amounts in lost business. Many companies operate under 99.9 percent availability, but this still means about eight hours downtime per year. For such cases, companies should establish and test different types of disaster recovery plans that will allow them to keep operating.

Hardware Failure

Planning for disaster recovery from hardware failure starts with mitigation of possible failure from common sources. Back-up generators cover electrical failures in data centers. Duplicate Internet services from different suppliers on different backbones -- entering the building at opposite ends -- make failure of Internet service itself unlikely. Typical disaster-recovery plans detail the location of replacement parts and servers, the location of backups, and the procedure for replacing defective servers and parts with spares.

Corrupted Software

An Internet business requires fault-free operating systems, properly configured drivers, operational security software and functioning browsers to access its networks. Software may be corrupted due to internal faults or because of malicious software introduced externally. The disaster-recovery plan includes the location of software backups, the procedure for restoring software, and the security codes for full access and for re-establishing a secure software environment.

Compromised Data

Even when hardware and software function properly, businesses may experience data errors due to internal operator mistakes or external hacking. When a company detects such problems with data, it must activate a disaster-recovery plan to ensure data integrity. Such a plan includes the location of data backups, identifies staff responsible for data security and integrity for each data set, and details procedures for restoring data while securing copies.

Compromised Access

Businesses may find that unknown parties are accessing their Internet connection or that hackers have obtained access to the company network through the Internet connection. The type of disaster recovery plan that addresses this situation includes all security access codes for the Internet and network, and instructions for changing them. A typical plan includes a systematic approach to updating passwords. It details how to make the required changes but informs company users, so that their network and Internet access is disrupted as little as possible.

References

• University of California at Berkeley: Studying and Using Failure Data from Large-Scale Internet Services
• Adams State College Computing Services Department: Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
• University of Alabama, Huntsville: Top Critical Internet Security Threats
• Recovery Oriented Computing: Why Do Internet Services Fail, and What Can Be Done About It?