Disaster Recovery vs. SHTF planning

Maybe it is the economy, or maybe the election.  Increasingly I am seeing people talking about “prepping” for when we descend into anarchy.

From SHTFPLAN - 8 Reasons Why The Great Depression Is The Best Case Scenario

The number of websites for this is impressive…here is a sample:

• SHTF Plan - When It Hits The Fan, Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You 
• Homestead Survival
• Cultivating Home

 There are also people analyzing where to go and publishing books on it.

Far be it for me to criticize these people.  Heck, they might be right.  That said, if you really believe the end is coming, you’d buy a piece of land and go “off the grid.”

It’s hard to fathom what off the grid would be like.  While it may be fun to flirt with the idea of living simply, the truth is the vast majority of us would struggle to do so.

Where is this rambling post going?

It’s about what we can do to make sure we are not thrown back into the dark ages. 

So many companies still believe Disaster Recovery for Systems is optional.   That’s just irresponsible.

DR plans need to be put together, and tested, so outages are minimized.  Plans need to meeting the needs of the business from a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and a Recovery Time Objective (RTO).  This all starts with a Business Impact Analysis….understanding the impacts of outages.

Depending upon your business, the recovery plan can be very simple or very elaborate.  As a consultant, I live on my laptop and so have a backup (old) laptop.  My documents are stored in the cloud and are backed up.  Simple stuff.

If you run a trading business, your needs are for real time replication and activation.  More elaborate and certainly costly…and “cheap” compared to being out of the market during a market swing.

Do I have some MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) at home?  Yes, enough for a couple weeks as a simple storm can take me personally off the grid.  I’d be fine for a couple weeks.  So for me DR preparedness is about common sense, spending wisely, and knowing you can recover.

If the end of the world does come, let me apologize now for asking you to prepare for an event.  You would have been better off digging a hole for your bunker.

What are your thoughts?