3 Ways to Improve Your Credit Union Disaster Recovery Plan
by. Robin Remines
Are you looking for ways to improve your credit union disaster recovery plan? At Ongoing Operations, we are engaged with hundreds of credit unions who are continually looking for ways to improve their plans. As a result, we see great ideas all the time. So if you’re ready to take your DR plan to the next level, this post is for you!
Define Critical
I know this sounds like its old news but let me tell you – I have yet to see a consistent approach to defining what “critical” is. Disaster recovery efforts are generally built around the restoration of “critical” services. But if you’ve ever tried to perform a Business Impact Analysis, you’ll agree with me that everyone has their own definition of what critical is! The credit unions that have the most successful DR strategies are ones that have taken the time to DEFINE and COMMUNICATE what “critical” means to their credit union. Critical could be measured by financial loss, member complaints, reputational damage – the point being, it is up to the leadership team to be actively engaged in this definition.
Integrate New Technologies
We’re seeing so many cool things happening on the technology side of DR that the topic probably deserves a blog all of its own (Note to self: Write blog on newest technology implementations in DR). Here are a few ideas to get your started:
- Tablets, Smartphones and laptops oh my! – But not to STORE copies of the plan – to ACCESS copies of the plan. Having some sort of access point (broadband enabled) is one of the most frequent additions I’ve seen in virtually every credit union I have worked with this year. The increasing reliance on internet based services has pushed leadership to take measures that will help them get back online quickly and from anywhere.
