When it comes to disaster recovery (DR), hope isn’t a plan. Yet I’ve seen the same story play out too many times: Companies find themselves scrambling when the unthinkable happens, discovering that their disaster recovery strategy is, well, full of holes. It’s like packing a parachute: You don’t want to find out what you missed when you’re already falling through the air. From my experience, there are some common mistakes businesses make that can turn a manageable problem into a fire drill.
In this post, I’m sharing the top 10 disaster recovery mistakes I’ve come across when helping businesses think through their disaster recovery posture so that you can strengthen your own safety net. By avoiding these mistakes and implementing a comprehensive DR plan, you can ensure a rapid and efficient recovery from unforeseen disruptions.
1. Proximity paradox
A geographically close disaster recovery site offers limited protection. A natural disaster impacting your primary location could easily disable the nearby DR facility as well. And, if you don’t have a DR site, this could still apply to your business if you keep your backups nearby, such as in a tape storage facility down the road.
How Pittsburg State solved the proximity paradox
Pittsburg State University is located in Kansas in the heart of tornado alley. Disaster planning is nonnegotiable, and the university didn’t want to take chances with their data. See how they set up a robust private cloud with nodes across the state and backed all of their data up to immutable cloud storage with Backblaze B2.
2. Untested backups
Backups that haven’t been restored and verified are unreliable. Regularly test your backups to ensure a smooth recovery process during a disaster.
3. Replication trap
Relying solely on replication for DR creates a single point of failure. If your primary site is compromised, the replicated data at the DR site might be compromised as well. Off-site full and incremental backups are essential.
4. Paper plan peril
A DR plan gathering dust on a shelf is useless. Conduct regular drills to simulate disaster scenarios and expose weaknesses in your plan.
5. Snapshot snafu
Snapshots are not comprehensive backups. Using snapshots for long term storage and retention introduces both technical and compliance risks in relation to how snapshots are managed. This affects both cloud and on-premises platforms.
6. SaaS surprises
Software as a service (SaaS) providers like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace focus on high availability, but they operate on a shared responsibility model, meaning they may have limited built-in protection and recovery options. You may not be managing servers, but you do need a comprehensive data protection plan including regular, incremental backups outside of the SaaS platform.
7. Unforeseen force majeure
Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. Don’t limit your DR plan to common IT disruptions. Consider scenarios like widespread power outages or communication breakdowns, and plan accordingly. The goal is holistic cyber resilience—not only identifying threats and protecting against them, but also withstanding attacks as they’re happening and responding effectively.
8. Backup infiltration
Bad actors are increasingly targeting backups to increase the chances of a payout. Utilize immutable backups, unchangeable after creation, for an extra layer of protection against ransomware attacks.
9. Cloud drive disasters
Storing data on Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. is incredibly common. But these platforms do not protect against ransomware and provide limited point-in-time recovery options. Cloud drives are not a sufficient backup of your data.
10. Overlooking compliance
Factor in compliance needs when building your data protection and DR strategy. Regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, and others may have security or archival requirements that should be considered in your plan.
Invest in cyber resilience
After working in the disaster recovery space, I can tell you this: It’s not just about having a plan; it’s about having one that works when it counts. The mistakes I’ve covered here are common, but they’re also avoidable. Take the time to address these now, and you’re not only protecting your systems and data, but your company’s future. For me, a strong DR plan is an investment in resilience, and it’s there to catch you when you need it most.
