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When most security professionals think of Business Continuity Planning (BCP)you think about how to back up your systems or creating a hot site in which to work and backup your data in case of a disaster. While all of these are crucial components to creating a successful recovery plan, it is important to remember that most businesses currently employ some sort cloud services technology in their day-to-day business operations. Why not use that already created infrastructure for business continuity? Cloud Infrastructure When planning to create this type of plan, it is important to understand your infrastructure and how it is currently being utilized. The second critical component is to understand the criticality of the various systems and processes. The reason for this is that they will be your drivers for which systems or services get top priority in your planning process. You have a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) right? Securing the cloud infrastructure that you already have will be an important first step. Some cloud service providers already do this for you automatically, but others may not do so. Therefore, it is important that you backup all of your critical cloud systems and processes first. Backup & Storage When using the cloud for your business continuity planning, it is important to remember that you want to use the capabilities of the service to your advantage. Using the various physical locations that you are able to have data stored will help to provide a diverse geography in which your data is stored physically. This data in some cases can also be mirrored from one location to another, giving you additional redundancies if it is needed. Flexibility One of the key benefits of using the cloud for business continuity management is its ability to be flexible with the amount of data that is stored. This information can grow and be moved around as needed within the cloud infrastructure as well. Additionally, long-term cold storage can also be used for data that may not be accessed on a regular basis. This provides a depth of continuity that if you were to create within your company would cost more to implement than to use what you already have access to. Automated Processes
An important factor that companies will look at is if they can automate the process for data backup. While in most instances this is a manual process (meaning hands on by the staff employed to carry out the specific tasks). In most instances with using the cloud infrastructure, you are able to automate the following areas:
Recovery Time Objectives One key aspect that any business will have to take into consideration when looking continuity planning is how long it will take to recover the data in case of an incident. Whether this is driven by service level agreements or by customers, it can be a critical data point in which to achieve. Meeting these objectives will be challenging, but using the cloud to achieve them is easier due to how the infrastructure is created and deployed. Downloading and requesting data from your backup storage site may take a few hours to request from the cloud service provider, but due to already being a part of the infrastructure, it will be easier than working with an outside service provider and requesting data tapes from a secured location some hundreds of miles away from your recovery site. When time is of the essence, getting the information you need in a timely manner is the name of the game. Summary While most business continuity planning involves thinking outside the box, it is important to remember all of your resources that you have at your disposal for the planning process. Thinking of new ways to use current or existing technologies will enable the business to have a cost effective solution without having to sacrifice more capital. Being able to use the cloud to store your data and as a recovery repository in case of a business impacting event will save you both time and effort in the end.
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January 2023
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