Backup & recovery

Jul 27 2008   1:46AM GMT

Data Breaches – Do you have a plan? SAS70

Posted by: sas70expert
Disaster Recovery, Networking, Incident response, Security, Compliance, Risk management, Auditing, CIO, DataCenter, Backup & recovery, Backup, SAS 70

You should have a disaster recovery plan when a data breach occurs within your Company. SAS 70 audits mostly will require you to have a plan documented, but the details of the plan are usually not adequately reviewed. Every disaster recovery plan should have basic requirements which include:

1. Who to call when an Exchange server malfunctions?
2. What do you do when a fire occurs in your Datacenter? Do you use the fire extinguisher? Pull the fire alarm? Or run out the front door and call the fire department on your cell phone. There are many tasks that must be done to prevent a catastrophe and each has to be assigned.
3. Where do you report when the Datacenter is flooded? Do you meet at the local coffee shop or the CIO’s home? You need to designate a safe site so that you are quickly able to establish communication and implement the disaster recovery plan.
4. When does the disaster plan take effect? Is it implemented when a laptop is lost? Or an i-Phone is missing? Or is it when a more serious virus causes your network to go down? You have to know when to ring the disaster bells or the CEO, CIO, CFO will not take you seriously if you call him daily about the missing cell phone.
5. How do stop a virus from causing your entire network from disruption or just your access to internet or emails? Do you unplug the network or do you call third party services and report the issue?

 

If a disaster occurs - consider it like your home were burning….your most critical asset….a disaster recovery plan requires forethought and an impact analysis to make sure that your Company can still function on a day to day basis. Make sure you have a Disaster Recovery Plan ready for your SAS70 audit and so that you can come to work the next day.  Trackback URL

Jul 1 2008   5:45PM GMT

Do you need the Secret Service to guard your data? – SAS70

Posted by: sas70expert
Security management, Third-party services, Administration, Database issues, Disaster Recovery, Networking, Active Directory, Network security, Storage, Security, Network monitoring, Servers, Microsoft Windows, Information risk management, Management, Security Program Management, Risk management, human factors, Database, Database Management Systems, business/IT alignment, Access, Financials, Access control, Industry Solutions, Data center operations, Network Management Systems, Data center design, Network, CIO, DataCenter, DataManagement, CEO, management software, Single sign-on, FTP, CFO, cooling systems, Backup & recovery, Exchange, Backup, power systems, SAS 70, budget, bugeting, CSO

It’s election year and security to protect some of our most valuable assets is being discussed more frequently – including politicians and data privacy requirements (proposed Regulation S-P). Does that mean you should be considering the Secret Service to guard your data? I don’t think so; however, you should have a plan to manage risk of data loss. This plan should contain proactive thinking that promotes a culture of prevention. A SAS70 audit will assist you in determining your vulnerabilities and identifying weaknesses in information technology network; however, you must continually assess and evaluate scenarios, and stay informed of the latest and greatest networking threats. Communication and training are key to a data protection plan. What are some of the other characteristics?SAS70expert@gmail.com

 

Jun 11 2008   12:47AM GMT

Exchange and Email

Posted by: sas70expert
Disaster Recovery, Auditing, Email, Backup & recovery, Exchange, Backup, SAS 70

SAS70 audits do not require disaster recovery to be audited; however, backups of email can be critical to survival of a Company should they be sued.

The process to back up emails can be expensive and time-consuming. I tried clustering Exchange servers. It was a mistake from the start – it became too complicated, I had to add 3 additional staff, hardware and don’t forget the licensing costs.

There are some appliances that make it easier to replicate to Exchange and other major mail servers. What appliances worked best for you? Or are there other techniques you can recommend to expedite the email backup process?