It's Your Data to Lose: Cyber disaster recovery planning is critical.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy
• Position: TELECOM & TECH

Data is the modern oil, says Danny Maxwell. PMP, ITIL. And it's essential that organizations recognize its value, protect it--and anticipate that it will have to be recovered some day.

That's why it's vitally important for businesses to have a backup and recovery strategy and documented plan, says Maxwell, the Anchorage-based territory director with Structured Communications Systems. Headquartered in Clackamas, Oregon, Structured Communications Systems is an IT consultancy and multi-cloud services provider that partners with companies nationwide. "In our experience, it is not a question of 'if' you need a plan but rather 'when' you'll need to execute a recovery." Maxwell says. "Attacks, deleted or compromised data, broken communication lines, etc., are an unfortunate reality of doing business in today's 'connected' world. The more proactive and prepared a business can be determines how fast and effective the recovery process is accomplished "

Cybersecurity threats are extremely serious--and growing. And cyber intrusions are becoming more commonplace, more dangerous, and more sophisticated, according to the FBI, which is the lead federal agency for investigating cyber attacks by criminals, overseas adversaries, and terrorists. Cyber crime is so prevalent that the FBI has cyber experts positioned in its field offices nationwide, including its Anchorage Division.

The collective impact of computer and network intrusions is staggering. Billions of dollars are lost every year repairing systems hit by cyber attacks. Some of the attacks take down vital systems: government agencies, hospitals, banks, and other businesses.

Where to Start

A cyber attack--or a natural disaster like the powerful November 30 earthquake that rocked Anchorage-can cause substantial hardware or software failure. But having a data backup or cyber disaster recovery plan can make it easier for a business to get back up and running after a catastrophic event.

When data is lost or compromised due to a cyber attack, natural disaster, or other calamity, companies generally have two options: recover the data from their last backup or recreate data if a backup isn't available.

Thankfully, most companies with even a handful of employees on staff will have an IT person available to back up their critical systems and information, according to Glen Kratochvil, president of Alaska Computer Guy. Data recovery is something he holds close to his heart because he has lost years' worth of information that could not be recreated. Such a catastrophic event can be as emotional as dealing with a house fire, and the experience can leave most people not thinking clearly, he says. "It's not uncommon for people to call me very upset or crying when they're in the middle of a data-loss emergency." he adds. "If you have a recovery plan in place, you're more likely to remain calm and not cause further harm. Knowing what to do when this happens can mean the difference between complete data recovery and having to rebuild years of company records from scratch." When a cyber...