How much does your company rely on your computer network? Are you prepared to operate should something happen to it? Have you considered what you’d do in case your company’s data and information were suddenly compromised? We have. In our trade, this is called business continuity and it helps businesses prepare for these scenarios. In fact, IBM has eight tiers of preparedness that help companies understand their situation with regard to data safety.
Tiers of Preparedness
First of all, we need to address what the eight IBM tiers of business continuity are in the first place. In layman’s terms, these are the tiers:
- Tier 0 – There is no off-site data, meaning that the company in question has no plan for business continuity.
- Tier 1 – There is a data backup but there are no systems on which to restore data. While there is data stored, there are no recovery plans in place.
- Tier 2 – There is a data backup with infrastructure on which to restore systems in case of disaster, but the need will still exist to recreate several hours to days’ worth of data.
- Tier 3 – There is a data backup with the necessary restoration infrastructure, plus there is some critical data that is electronically vaulted.
- Tier 4 – Point in time copies are implemented so that, even though several hours of data loss are still possible, it is easier to make frequent copies that can be replicated through tape-based solutions.
- Tier 5 – Transaction integrity is maintained throughout most applications, to the point where there is little to no data loss depending on the applications’ functionality.
- Tier 6 – There is zero or little data loss by maintaining the highest levels of data currency with no dependence on the applications being used.
- Tier 7 – The company implements highly automated, business-integrated solutions that make use of tier six components with the added benefit of automation
What Are the Tiers For?
IBM’s eight tiers of preparedness allow businesses to understand where they stand in terms of data recovery planning and what they can do to improve upon their approach. More often than not, there are improvements that a company can make to better take care of their information. That’s not to say that every single company should be at tier seven. Not every business will need to. Each company is different and uses digital systems at varying degrees. If you find yourself on a lower tier in the hierarchy and feel comfortable with your current approach, that’s fine. However, if you think that you could take better steps to safeguard your digital assets then it wouldn’t hurt to look into better data recovery strategies.
Business Continuity Services
Your company’s information assets are important and they should be treated as such, which is why you should be prepared for their recovery. This is important whether you are dealing with widespread damage to your systems or a single malfunctioning computer. We at IT Gurus can help you establish and implement a business continuity strategy. Just give us a call at 1-877-355-2263 and we’ll help you incorporate a structural approach to backing up your information in a reliable and useful way.
