Monday, June 8, 2009

Car Trunks and Other Treasure Chests

Dear DR Dan,

What sort of disaster recovery plans and critical electronic files should an Accounts Receivable manager have in his car or at home? Isn't there a conflict with what the Corporate Security director believes should be taken out of the building?

Signed,
Paranoid in Accounting Dept.

Hi Paranoid,

The short answer is that you should have a copy of the DRP section that involves your department at your home and (encrypted) on your PDA, but not in your car. Same for your second and third in command. Just in case you and your second fails the "bus test."

Your car is not a good data haven because it's vulnerable to a) theft, b) accidents, and c) tornados. In other words, events that are outside of your control.

Certainly A/R files are important and should be backed up at a secure site, without dependency upon you to carry them home. The fact that your Corporate Security Director isn't happy points to a more fundamental question of authority and responsibility.

Hope this helps.

DR Dan

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