Is Business Continuity a Hole in Your Security?

BC, DR, HA, Pick Your Acronym

Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, High Availability, system uptime…

These are all terms that describe one of the most important needs of almost any business. Keeping your company running is one of the top 3 objectives of a security. But it’s often overlooked when many companies are planning their security.

By failing to plan, you plan to fail. And a lack of a business continuity plan will immediately become your weakest security link when systems fail. It will inhibit your employees from resuming work, costing you thousands of dollars an hour in lost business, productivity, and even your reputation.

So, Where are Your Business Continuity Weak Links?

Business Continuity touches all areas of your security. Here is a list of security risk areas:

• Breach Prevention & Monitoring
  • Security breaches can take down any system making work impossible (ransomware, stolen or corrupted data or systems)
• Internet, Firewall & Network Redundancy and failover
  • Weaknesses here can negatively impact your…
    • VOIP Phone Systems
    • Cloud Application Solution Providers
    • Access to remote Data and servers
• Wireless Access Points – Issues can take down your employee or guest network
• Email Access – loss of either the access method (PCs, Internet) or Server (Exchange servers or hosted Mail)
• Server Redundancy and failover – deficiency here can cause lost access to applications and data
• Data Backup and Ability to Quickly Recover
• Website Systems
  • Can shut down your marketing effort
  • Can prevent customer, partner access to vital systems
  • Can stop Ecommerce purchases & billing

 What Security Solutions Are Most Important for Business Continuity

Here’s a checklist of steps you need to take to make sure your security solution won’t fail you when you need it most:

• Security Risk Assessments These help you define a balanced approach to security that gives you the best security for your budget
• Redundantly Designed Internet Gateway
  • HA Firewalls with Internet failover
  • Redundant Internet Connections
• Look for Ways to Get Redundant or Alternative access to Remote Cloud Based:
  • Cloud Applications
  • Data Storage
  • VOIP Phone systems
  • Email

***There are many creative solutions to temporarily access these solutions through other technologies or the ability to replace them with other temporary solutions.

• Robust Onsite and Offsite System & Data Backup and Quick Disaster Recovery Systems should be accessible directly in cases where restoring systems is impossible because core systems are unavailable
• Redundant Website Systems
• UPS and other Power and Cooling system backup systems
• Plan Disaster Recovery Scenarios This is a defined plan that answers where employees will temporarily work remotely instead of accessing systems from the office
• Security and Availability Monitoring Systems

The goal of business continuity is both important and complicated when taken as a whole. Everyone needs help defining, developing and implementing these plans and solutions.

eSecurity Solutions can help, starting with risk assessments and Business Continuity strategies, managing implementation, and providing ongoing managed security.