Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2020. Read them in this 12th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
By James
Patrignelli, Director of Sales, Northeast, Liquid Technology
The Future of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - Why End-of-Life IT Processes Play a Vital Part in Operational Preservation
In the always-on world of technology, business
continuity has become vital to the success of critical applications and
companies involved in a huge variety of sectors, be it healthcare, finance,
telecommunications or otherwise. As we look to the future, business continuity,
or a company's ability to plan for, mitigate or even avoid disasters and their
associated operational disruptions, will only grow in importance as data and
application access becomes increasingly critical and businesses face
unprecedented exposure to disrupting events.
Events that pose a threat to continuity can
range from weather-related disasters and outages to more reputational incidents
such as hacking issues or lawsuits, but all can pose critical setbacks if they
take down business functions. In fact, in the past two years, over 50 percent of businesses experienced an
unforeseen interruption, and the vast majority (81 percent) of these
interruptions caused the business to be closed for one or more days. At the
same time, 80 percent of businesses that suffer a major disaster such as
hurricanes, fires or cyber breaches go out of business in 3 years, while 40
percent of businesses that experience a critical IT failure go out of business
within one year. As more data is being passed around in the age of IoT (the
Internet of Things) and 5G and more day-to-day capabilities are being created
and utilized in the online sphere, the threat of digital disruption grows
larger.
Atlanta's 2018 municipal ransomware attack serves as a striking example
of how digital interruption can bring vital operations to a screeching halt. In
this case, residents of the populous metro area could not access vital
functions, such as paying for traffic tickets or water bills, and the airport
(one of the world's busiest) went without what has now become a critical
function of personal communication, work access and more: WiFi. This attack was
one of the most sustained and consequential cyberattacks mounted against a
major American city. As a result, it highlights a critical truth about the
contemporary online world: while the digital realm grows and offers new
advantages every day, vulnerabilities are being amplified and interruptions are
becoming increasingly damaging. Now more than ever, continuity and protection
against disruption are paramount.
This begs the question: how prepared are
businesses for operational disruption? Disaster recovery plans can take many
forms and often include pre-set policies, tools and procedures. However, one
often underestimated, yet particularly critical facet of recovery lies in
managing end-of-life assets and equipment disposition. IT Asset Disposition
(otherwise known as ITAD) can protect businesses from the damaging effects of
disruption and safeguard business continuity in a number of ways, and should always
be part of an effective disaster recovery plan.
To help avoid system failures, devices and
equipment should be kept up-to-date to ensure proper function. Many businesses
do a good job tailoring their equipment and operational frameworks to growing
requirements, and many are taking leaps like moving to a cloud-based
environment to keep pace. However, where many fail in this turnover process is
with asset retirement. When incorporating more contemporary technologies, the
older models and assets should be treated with as much care and consideration
as the new ones. Creating proper ITAD procedures allows businesses to regain as
much value as possible from old equipment while remaining compliant and
environmentally ethical with their e-waste. Although, complex considerations
like value windows, levels of demand, Manufacturer Suggested Retail Prices
(MSRP) and more come into play here, complicating the process for many
companies. Yet, businesses who choose to go without proper ITAD procedures risk
losing value and efficiency when incorporating new equipment.
Compliance with federal, state and local laws
is another big reason to invest time incorporating good ITAD practices into
disaster recovery and business continuity plans. It
can be difficult to navigate strict and rapidly-evolving regulatory compliance
requirements pertaining to both ethical e-waste disposal and data security, but
the dangers of neglect here are high. In fact, in 2018, the U.S. reported 1,244 data breaches, resulting in
more than 446.5 million exposed records. Events like these can compromise or
even destroy public trust, which in turn leads to financial dips and sometimes
bankruptcy for smaller businesses that cannot absorb the impact.
Remaining conscientious
and creating strategies that align with these regulations are key for
preserving that public trust and creating a positive reputation.
Luckily, there is one simple way to ensure
compliance and security on all fronts while simultaneously making sure that
businesses garner every possible continuity and recovery benefit that IT asset
disposition offers: allying with an ITAD specialist. ITAD specialists are
expertly positioned to meet any and every business demand as companies look to
incorporate ITAD into their disaster recovery plan.
When choosing a partner, enterprises should
ensure that the company has R2, ISO 14001 and e-Stewards certifications to make
sure that all requirements and local, state and federal data and environmental
regulations are rigorously upheld. The company should guide businesses through
complex chain-of-custody proceedings and deliver data destruction and erasure
procedures to manage any data concerns.
At the end of the day, partnering with a
specialist that offers ITAD as its core competency is every business's best
bet. When continuity is safeguarded during the critical end-of-life asset
phase, a company can rest assured knowing it is more seamlessly and wholly
protected for the future.
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About the Author
James Patrignelli, Director of Sales, Northeast, joined Liquid
Technology in 2011 as a Senior Account Manager. James works with executives to
develop and implement end of life IT asset management programs for Fortune 500
companies with a focus on data security and maximizing the return of IT
hardware. He has worked in the IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) field since 2005 and
has advised CIOs, CTOs and data center managers across the globe about best
practices for end of life IT asset management. James currently oversees sales
for the New York, Boston, and Chicago and has completed several projects
throughout the states, Europe, and Asia. James received a Bachelor of Science
in Business Administration and Management Information Systems from the
University of Connecticut and studied overseas in Italy for his second degree
in International Economics. When not assisting executives in executing proper
asset disposal, James is either spending time with his three children or
running.