Research by analyst house Freeform Dynamics, sponsored by Quest Software, found that over half of SMBs in the UK, France and Germany are operating without a formal disaster recovery plan in place.
The survey of 160 IT decision-makers found that 58% of small organisations (50-250 employees) do not have a formal disaster recovery plan, and nearly one fifth of mid-sized enterprises (250- 1,000 employees) are in the same position.
Industry differences became apparent when comparing how prepared organisations are for a potential disaster. SMBs within the Financial Services sector (90%), as well as those in Communications and Media (81%), have formal disaster recovery plans in place. However, a much smaller percentage of SMBs in Retail & Distribution, and Manufacturing, have done the same, with less than 40% having drawn up formal disaster recovery plans.
Delving into the stats further reveals other worrying results: 58% of small organisations do not plan for failure in a structured manner; while one fifth of mid-sized enterprises have made no formal preparations for disaster.
"Events over the past year, including cyber-attacks and natural disasters, have highlighted the importance of having a robust disaster recovery process in place so organisations can quickly respond and remain operational should a major interruption impact your business," said Kevin Nolin, VP and GM of Quest Software (EMEA). "Planning for failure shouldn’t be an afterthought or overlooked by any organisation, regardless of size. Information is integral to the success of every organisation and companies should do more to keep their most important asset protected."
Somewhat surprisingly from where I’m standing, "changing user and business expectations" is the most significant driver to improve disaster recovery capabilities within SMBs. As opposed to, for example, compliance with changing regulations, disappointment at current IT service levels and occasional outages, or having to do more with less.
If you are in the mid-sized, SMB or indeed enterprise camps what are your thoughts? Is enough spent on disaster recovery or even too much? Is your organisation fully prepared for a potential disaster or is it simply too costly to ensure that it is? Drop me a comment below or tweet me.
