By Chris Bremer
Every credit union will likely encounter a data disaster of some magnitude; the defining moment is how well the disaster recovery is handled. The response could literally make or break a credit union. This leads many credit union managers to experience what the data storage world likes to call “data disaster anxiety.”
Credit union members are connecting to accounts and services in new ways. This trend will continue to push forward as technologies such as voice activation and customized 24/7member experience advances ahead. With technology advancements come new security risks. IT departments have the incredibly difficult task of embracing new ways of doing business while protecting networks.
Small to mid-size credit unions have a greater challenge because of cost barriers and legacy technology. However, regardless of size, credit unions can take certain measures to protect themselves from a data disaster, and develop a plan to minimize disruption in the event of a data disaster.
We still believe that knowledge is power. Staying informed on common threats to credit union networks is an important first step in creating a disaster recovery plan. It seems as though new security vulnerabilities are identified each day. In order to protect from a possible disaster, you have to know what could potentially happen.
Take a Look Around
Data disasters come in various shapes and sizes. Take a look around your credit union; there’s a good chance that a familiar face might be a data disaster culprit someday. Pure carelessness amongst employees is the number-one cause of data loss. Whether an employee misplaces a device connected to the company network or accidently deletes important information, human error tops the list of data vulnerabilities. Other vulnerabilities are less predictable and include environmental factors, hardware/software malfunction, malware and power outages.
Credit unions should dedicate time to educate employees on the risk of opening suspicious emails, or jumping on an open Internet network to perform work while sipping a cappuccino in a neighborhood coffee shop. Education is vital to make sure all employees understand actions that could open a door for a data disaster.
All credit unions are dependent on data to continue operations. However, there are layers of data dependency within each division. The loan department might require immediate access to information, while a marketing department could probably wait a few days before gaining access to recovered data. When laying out a disaster recovery plan, it’s important to identify critical systems to maintain a level of operation.
Developing a complete plan for each critical department during data downtime is paramount. Think about how different departments will step in during a downtime situation. What needs to happen to make sure the company is running as smoothly as possible? Having a well thought out response strategy, and communicating that strategy to the entire team, will minimize the chaos and questions during a system downtime event.
Now You Can Begin to Think About Recovery Strategy
Once the response strategy has been fully implemented, credit unions can start to look at their recovery strategy. This is when companies can begin to recover data from an external source, such as offsite storage or the cloud, and ask questions about what caused the loss and how it can be fixed.
Remember, another key to a successful data recovery is to ensure the data recovery solutions are working properly. The second worst possible scenario to suffering a data disaster is to not have a functioning data disaster solution. Whether you are big, small or somewhere in between, these steps can help reduce data disaster anxiety.
Chris Bremer is CTO of Dynamic Solutions International (http://www.dynamicsolutions.com/), a Denver based data storage company specializing in providing complete storage solutions to highly regulated environments. He can be reached at CBremer@DynamicSolutions.com.