Alternate or Back-up Site Evaluations

Client Need Summary:

Alternate or back-up sites are critical components of a business resiliency strategy. Care should be taken to select a site that is sufficiently remote so as not to be affected by a disaster at the primary site but close enough for ease of relocation. If it is a vendor/third-party site, the best price should be negotiated to meet business requirements. If it is an internal site, the infrastructure should support the requirements.

Approach:

A suitable alternate/back-up site can be validated by the following activities:

• Documentation of recovery strategy and requirements as a basis for review and comparison.
• Comparison of the facilities (workspace, storage, data center) provided at the alternate site against the strategy requirements.
• If the alternate site is a third party provider, a contract review for areas such as the procedures for invoking the site, the time required between invoking, when access is actually permitted and when hardware at the site is scheduled for updating.
• If the site is an internal location, a review of the procedures for maintaining the site in a state of readiness.

The Solution:

Incorporation of an alternate/back-up site is part of a resiliency strategy. In the event of a disaster, business will continue and market share maintained.