A study conducted by Databarracks revealed that most people within the field of IT see disaster recovery and business continuity as codependent – and rightfully so. The survey of 404 IT professionals from 19 different business sectors revealed that 88 percent of these IT workers had a specific disaster recovery plan embedded within their business continuity plan. Furthermore, 7 percent of businesses that currently had a business continuity plan without a disaster recovery solution planned on creating one within the next year. 

These numbers simply speak to the importance of disaster recovery solutions, as well as the often forgotten difference – and link – between disaster recovery and business continuity.

Many people think these terms are interchangeable, however, the reality is that disaster recovery is simply the portion of a business continuity plan that has to do with saving data to prepare for a disastrous event. Business continuity as a whole sees the bigger picture by trying to get the entire business back to working order, as opposed to just scraping by after a calamitous event.. 

What types of disasters are hitting IT?
The Databarracks survey also had some interesting information about the leading causes of data loss within the IT industry. The study found that 24 percent of disastrous events resulting in lost data were the result of human error.

This is just above hardware failure, which was second with 21 percent. What this means is that companies need to keep the mistakes of their employees in mind when in the process of creating a business continuity and disaster recovery plan. 

Thankfully, professionals in the disaster recovery and business continuity field like ISG Technology can help companies navigate the tricky process of creating these types of plans. With over 30 years of disaster recovery experience, ISG Technology has a team of experts that can work to create a business continuity and disaster recovery plan that is right for your business.