The Importance Of A Robust Disaster Recovery Plan In Local Authorities

Almost 40% of city councils fail to test their disaster recovery plans, putting them at risk of significant data loss in the event of a crisis.

According to a freedom of information request submitted in 2015, many towns and cities across the UK are ill-prepared for the possibility of an IT disaster.

A survey found that although disaster recovery plans were in place within every major city, 38% had failed to test theirs regularly. Some of those surveyed revealed that they hadn’t tested their plans for over a year. Let’s take a look at the importance of a robust and up-to-date disaster recovery plan within local authorities.

 

Why is disaster recovery important for local authorities?

With a wealth of personal data on file, it’s crucial that local authorities go above and beyond to protect the information they hold. After all, they need to protect everything from financial transactions relating to council tax to the delicate information held within childrens’ care systems.

If an IT disaster was to occur, the loss of such data or a delay in retrieving it could be extremely damaging.

 

What counts as a disaster?

When discussing disaster recovery plans, it’s important to be aware of the types of disaster involved. Although the definition can vary depending on the industry in question, it could be defined as “loss or damage of part or all of the local authority’s ICT infrastructure, having an impact on its ability to operate effectively.”

 

Disasters could include the following:

  • The total loss of a website
  • The loss or technical failure of one or more servers
  • The loss or technical failure of network infrastructure
  • The loss or technical failure of phone systems
  • The loss of electrical power
  • Failure of a frequently-used software system

 

What can cause a disaster?

Whether a local authority falls victim to a malicious cyber attack or there’s a fire or flood that destroys devices storing valuable data, there are a number of potential problems that could cause a disaster.

Analysing all potential threats and discussing possible responses to them is likely to be an effective way of protecting your local authority’s data in the event of a crisis.

 

How can Prism help local authorities with disaster recovery?

Here at Prism, not only can we can help local authorities implement strong disaster recovery plans, we’ll also help test them to ensure they’re always up-to-date and effective.

If we identify areas that need to be revised and updated, we’ll get to work on the local authority’s behalf until we can guarantee the necessary precautions have been taken.

To learn more about our disaster recovery service, please get in touch with the team at Prism.