Have you tested your disaster recovery plan lately? If not, then how can you be sure that it will work when you need it to? According to a recent article from The Business Journals, you should be testing your planned response to a server failure twice a year, and a catastrophic failure once a year. However, due to worries about the expense and downtime required for testing, many businesses don’t adhere to these recommendations.

You can test your plan inexpensively and without major hassles, the article states. With the help of internal or external IT personnel, you can set a specific time in which to do this, knowing (and planning) for the reality that it’s going to require some downtime. Involve executive level personnel in your scheduled testing in order to get a perspective of how such a disaster could impact business continuity.

When testing your disaster recovery plan, it is recommended that a log be kept in order to record the aspects of the plan that did not work well, in addition to the solutions that worked exactly as they should. This allows you to modify the plan as needed, incorporating suggestions as to how the disaster recovery plan could be more comprehensive and more effective.

For the safety of your data, consider data center services from Global IP Networks. Our Plano, TX SSAE SOC-2 Type II data center is HIPAA and PCI compliant, and provides a peace of mind when it comes to your mission critical data. You not only have 24/7 onsite and support access, but as a customer, we also provide you with 24/7 access to our Business Continuity Center, secure WiFi, and conference room space. For more information on disaster recovery planning and how to obtain server hosting, cabinet and cage colocation, contact us.