Is there a hole in your disaster recovery plan?

A good disaster recovery plan includes all of the processes, policies and procedures necessary for your company to continue operating its critical technology systems after a disaster.

You’ve heard the stats:

• On average, enterprises lose between $84,000 and $108,000 for every hour of IT system downtime
• Up to 40 percent of businesses affected by a natural or man-made disaster never re-open

You need to be prepared. How can you ensure that all of your important applications are recoverable, and can continue to drive your operations after a disaster?

It is important to think about the software applications you use, as well as the software created by your IT department, that supports your business or government agency whenever you review your business continuity and disaster recovery plans.  

Protecting the source code for your important applications via a software escrow agreement is a simple, cost-effective way to ensure application continuity. This way, the software that you’ve licensed is protected in a secure environment and available when needed.

It’s important to think beyond those super critical top few applications covered by managed recovery services. If an application is not easily replaced with off-the-shelf software packages, it should be protected with a software escrow agreement and verification testing. With a software escrow and verification solution supporting your existing business continuity/disaster recovery (BC/DR) plan, you can extend the number and type of applications that can be protected in a cost-effective manner.

My colleague, Dennis Bruce, recently wrote an article for Government Security News with more details on this topic. I hope you’ll take a look and share your thoughts.

Do you have questions about software escrow? Read additional Knowledge Center stories on this subject, or contact Iron Mountain’s Intellectual Property Management team. You’ll be connected with a knowledgeable product and services specialist who can address your specific challenges.

Related Links:

• Ensuring Application Continuity Outside of the “Classic” DR Scenarios
• Chevy Chase and Software Escrow
• How Verification Services Fortify Your Software Escrow Solution