Implementing a Help Desk Disaster Recovery Plan

Ever wonder what would happen to your help desk in the event of a disaster? Today, business continuity (BC) and disaster recovery (DR) plans apply to both physical and technical assets, such as software solutions that support the business. The reason is that losing access to sensitive data and business-critical equipment can jeopardize your entire operation. If your company provides IT services to internal or external stakeholders, it is important to implement a help desk service disaster recovery plan. A robust BC / DR plan helps IT staff respond quickly to all kinds of emergencies and reduce their overall business impact.

Your help desk disaster recovery plan should:

• Align the information security strategy with the help desk response
• Run your business continuously
• Protect data stored in the cloud and network.
• Reduces the risk of social engineering and secondary attacks.

The IT department can develop a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that covers the help desk process. However, IT services may require individualized plans that are specifically designed to meet the unique challenges facing an employee's IT service team. The help desk may need to act as the first responder after a serious incident. Whether you have an emergency at your home office or at a remote location, everyone knows they will call helpdesk and in many cases you can continue to call speed dials. The first IT response from the help desk officer can set the tone for disaster recovery across the enterprise.

How To Create A Help Desk Disaster Recovery Plan

• When you begin to develop your DR help desk support services plan, take the time to ask the following questions.
• Does the company's help desk provide services outside of the IT department?
• Does your IT department have a disaster recovery plan that includes a help desk?
• How fully does this plan address employee functions and IT service?
• Does your company's helpdesk provide worldwide services?
• Is the client available 24/7?

The answers to these questions will help you create a comprehensive DR help desk plan. The plan should include technical considerations and best practices for employee response and overtime expectations. When developing a disaster recovery plan, consider the following elements as building blocks:

Budget. Disaster recovery takes time and money. Depending on the threat, the help desk team may discover vulnerabilities and require outside help to keep the business alive. These costs must be included in your plan.

Limit The Content Of Your Plan. Keep it simple and focus only on the disaster response actions your helpdesk team must take to restore service functionality as quickly as possible in an emergency.

Take Advantage Of Answering Software. Help team members quarantine, classify, and respond quickly to threats with an integrated help desk and remote support software.

Create A Pragmatic Plan. Formalize an action plan or checklist that help desk staff can use to respond appropriately in an emergency. Define key roles in a disaster and identify employees who will take specific actions.

Data Management. In the event of cyberattacks, environmental disruptions, or other emergencies, data management and privacy reduce the impact of incidents on business continuity. Implement a network surveillance system that integrates with help desk solutions to quickly respond to emergencies. Find solutions that include remote support tools that integrate with your backup system to improve responsiveness.

Proof. Responding to an emergency requires intuition and intuitive planning. Practice and execute predictable emergency scenarios, let the team understand what a real emergency can be, and test your plan regularly.