Network Management-Business Continuity
The costs and consequences of network downtime resulting from human error, computer viruses, intrusions, and natural and man-made catastrophes can be disastrous for organizations. Continuous availability (CA) describes the availability level provided by IT systems designed for uninterrupted operation. In the past, CA servers were not a viable option for smaller and mid-sized organizations. Today’s versions are more cost-effective. CA servers make it simpler to maximize application availability and data integrity.
Maintaining IT availability creates supportive conditions for continuity management. Business continuity (BC) is defined as a proactive process for maintaining essential services at an alternate location, continuation of business operations and contingency plans for external factors. Disaster recovery (DR) is a reactive process focused on restoring IT services and data after a disaster or emergency.
Opinion
It is imperative for an organization to be aware of the financial and safety risks associated with network downtime. It is obvious that CA servers offer uninterrupted operation and safeguards data integrity. CA servers should be selected if possible. However, a CA server alone will not fully protect an organization. Expert IT professionals and technical staff are essential to reduce risks to the network.
Annotated Bibliography
High Availability: Is It Sufficient for Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity? (2007.) Stratus Technologies. Retrieved on September 29, 2008 from http://www.stratus.com
An overview of availability management, disaster recovery and business continuity.
Coleman, E. (2008.) McAfee, Inc Pioneers New Standard for Protecting Virtualized Environments. thomasnet.com. Retrieved on September 28, 2008 from http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/549510
Overview of a new solution offered by McAfee to offer security across virtual and physical environments in order to consolidate servers, reduce costs, and ensure stronger network and data protection.
Five Reasons Why Smaller Organizations Should Consider High Availability (2008.) Vision Solutions. Retrieved on September 28, 2008 from http://www.visionsolutions.com
Review of the core causes of planned and unplanned downtime, with current options for high availability and disaster recovery solutions, including offsite data protection and rapid data recovery, which are now affordable for small and mid-sized companies.