Disaster recovery is a critical part of business continuity planning, but some experts note that the latter needs to come before a firm invests in disaster recovery technology. This means setting the strategies in motion that will help a firm identify and avoid risks, not just bounce back from them.

An IT solutions and managed services provider, Logicalis, recently published a release noting that disaster recovery alone isn't enough to protect a business from the risks of a natural or manmade disaster.

"Disaster recovery, even DR-as-a-Service, is technology based. The technology will save whatever data you tell it to, but the success of your business depends as much, if not more, on the effectiveness and efficiencies of your processes and procedures," said David Kinlaw, Practice Manager, Data Protection and Availability Services, Logicalis. "Critically reviewing, evaluating and improving those processes and procedures is therefore essential to ensuring the success of your business."

In order to optimize continuity of operations planning and the chances of returning strong from any crisis, a business should consider several steps, such as identifying potential risks early, planning their recovery budget, creating a strategy for every threat and testing those plans regularly.

Being so proactive for a potential disaster may seem like overplanning, but when a crisis strikes it will help your firm recover faster and minimize loss, both in time and resources. In order to maximize your plan, hire business continuity consultants who can recommend the best strategies, vendors and services to deploy, as well as assist with the analysis of disaster impact on operations.

The right plan will mean less loss and more flexibility when a crisis does strike, so don't get caught only half prepared.