Expect the unexpected: the importance of a disaster recovery plan

Guest post by Cillian McCarthy, CEO, Vault365

In an evolving digital landscape, organisations are increasingly vulnerable to cyber risks that threaten their critical data. The acceleration of AI, coupled with the growing sophistication of cyberattacks, means that organisations without an effective backup and disaster recovery plan in place run a heightened risk of their data being compromised.

According to PwC’s 2024 Digital Trust Insights survey, just 42% of Irish-based respondents said that they understand the cyber risks posed by emerging technologies. Disaster recovery needs to be a core business objective for organisations of all sizes in the digital age, with information including confidential customer data, financial records, and employee data more accessible than ever before.

Building blocks for data backup

There are key building blocks that all disaster recovery plans should include. Risk assessment is the foundation of any strategy and is vital to understand where the gaps are in order to allocate necessary resources. It can also help to optimise the measures already in place. The cornerstone of an effective plan is secure data backup, and backup efforts should be concentrated on ensuring business continuity in the event of a disaster, and focused on developing contingency plans for the continuity of business operations.

However, it’s not enough to just have a backup plan in place. Any plan must be laid block-by-block to each organisation’s specific needs and tested regularly to ensure maximum effectiveness. Furthermore, communication is key – employees right across the organisation must be aware of the protocols and understand that time is of the essence should a breach occur.

Crucially, it’s not just external threats that organisations need to protect their data against. Human error is a top cause of cyber breaches and, therefore, employees (whether acting maliciously or otherwise) pose a significant risk to organisational data. In fact, Verizon’s recent Data Breach Investigations Report 2023 found that 74% of all security breaches include a human element. This is where cybersecurity awareness training comes into play and can support disaster preparedness. It’s crucial that this training is delivered regularly to employees and kept up-to-date as cyber threats continue to evolve.

Head in the cloud

A backup of your cloud data is now also an indispensable tool for data protection and security in the current business landscape. The cloud is flexible, almost infinitely scalable, and provides seamless accessibility from anywhere (which is particularly important for dispersed workforces). In addition, it enables secure remote data deletion and recovery in the event of a data breach or if a business is concerned about unauthorised access. The cloud can also aid enhanced regulatory compliance for organisations. Recent CSO figures show that in 2023, 42% of Irish enterprises used cloud computing services to store files.

Implementing a robust back up and disaster recovery plan isn’t a once-off task, but an ongoing process that requires continuous assessment and improvement as business needs evolve. Not only can a successful cyber breach result in data loss or business downtime – it can also cause irreparable financial and reputational damage. Data is the lifeblood of organisations, and this invaluable asset demands robust protection against modern threats.

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