by David Gracey
Being able to survive a snowstorm, fire or other disaster is critical for today’s law firm. A good disaster recovery (DR) plan does not have to be complicated or expensive. Some basic procedures and solutions can be put in place to keep the lights on and folks billing, even if they cannot physically access the office.
The main cost driver behind DR plans is the amount of time to get a business back up and running after a disaster. The closer to zero downtime, the higher the cost. Fortunately, solutions are continuing to get more robust and less expensive.
For most law firms with fewer than 50 attorneys, a solid remote access/VPN solution in combination with offsite data protection is adequate. This requires some investment in the infrastructure, data lines and backup solution. Additionally, annual testing (at a minimum) is recommended so there are no surprises in case “D-day” ever occurs. Your IT professional should be able to design and implement a good DR plan and it is always a good idea to retain a reliable third party DR expert to provide guidance, planning and auditing.
Network 1 Consulting is a 14-year-old, IT Support company in Atlanta, GA. We become – or augment – the IT department for professional services companies: law firms, medical practices and financial services firms. Our IT experts can fix computers – but what our clients really value is the industry-specific best practices we bring to their firm. This is especially important with technology, along with regulations and cyber threats, changing so rapidly. We take a proactive approach to helping our clients use technology to gain and keep their competitive advantage.
