Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

Disaster Recovery Planning: Why Outsourcing Can Work

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By: Cormac Foster (10/25/2010)

You outsource the hosting, storage and many of the applications that are part of your BC/DR plan. But what about outsourcing the development of the plan itself? Is that going too far or is it just smart business? Here are some pros and cons to help you decide. Benefits Perspective. Employees are knee-deep in their own work and buried in a legacy of political maneuvering that can limit their objectivity. An outsider can see the things you can't — and say the things you won't. Authority. You may be the smartest person in the room, but to your coworkers, you're the buddy, the pain-in-the-butt or the guy who wore the lampshade at last year's party. Your recommendations carry weight, but maybe not as much as those of an outsider. Perspective brings advantages. No consultant has an axe to grind, so management should be more open to receiving criticism, and good consultants bring a wealth of relevant experience to the table. Accountability. DR planners only do one thing. If they do it wrong, you have every right to hold them accountable. A DR failure is still a failure, but having someone else to blame could be critically important. It might help you recoup lost money and it can certainly help you save your job. Customizability. If your 'Plan B' alternative to outsourcing is tweaking a plan you found online, you might want to stick to 'Plan A.' Consultants will review your business practices and recovery objectives, and customize their existing frameworks to cover your needs. This gives you a powerful mix of breadth and depth that you won’t get from a DR 'Plan in a Can.' Speed. Consultants have done this before. They don't need to triple-check a dozen Web sites to be sure their bases are covered. If you're new to DR planning or feel like you've been missing something, an outsider will help you speed things along without wondering about gaps in your coverage. Drawbacks Before you run into the arms of the nearest consultancy, however, keep these negatives in mind. Cost. Consultants aren't cheap. On a per-hour basis, you will absolutely spend more on an outsourced DR planner than you would for a full-time employee with similar experience. That said, you probably don't yet have that employee, and if you do, he or she may not be available. Time. Didn't I just say that consultants were faster? On a task-per-task basis, yes, but to come up to speed, they'll need to interview your employees and review your documentation. If you haven't performed a serious business process review in a while, this could reveal some productive insights, but it will eat time you might be able to save doing the job yourself. Understanding. All the interviews in the world won't provide the full picture of how your business works (and by extension, how to restore it to working order). To bridge this gap, you'll need to dedicate time and staff to review any plans consultants create, every step of the way. Again, this isn't a waste of time at all, but it is a time cost. Losing Control (and Your Mind). You don't want to outsource too much. Consultants do not have as much long-term stake in your business as you and your employees. Giving too much power to an outsider can remove you from critical decision-making processes and cause more headaches than it solves. Doing the Math So how does it all add up? Pretty well, on the whole. If you have a well-documented DR plan that you review and test frequently, and you're satisfied with its impact on your staff, don’t fix what isn’t broken. If this isn’t the case, you could do worse than an external review. Shop around, ask for references and treat your first engagement as a blueprinting session, rather than a lifelong commitment, but an outsider's perspective could whip you into shape that you wouldn’t otherwise reach.

You outsource the hosting, storage and many of the applications that are part of your BC/DR plan. But what about outsourcing the development of the plan itself? Is that going too far or is it just smart business? Here are some pros and cons to help you decide.

Benefits

Perspective. Employees are knee-deep in their own work and buried in a legacy of political maneuvering that can limit their objectivity. An outsider can see the things you can't — and say the things you won't.
Authority. You may be the smartest person in the room, but to your coworkers, you're the buddy, the pain-in-the-butt or the guy who wore the lampshade at last year's party. Your recommendations carry weight, but maybe not as much as those of an outsider. Perspective brings advantages. No consultant has an axe to grind, so management should be more open to receiving criticism, and good consultants bring a wealth of relevant experience to the table.
Accountability. DR planners only do one thing. If they do it wrong, you have every right to hold them accountable. A DR failure is still a failure, but having someone else to blame could be critically important. It might help you recoup lost money and it can certainly help you save your job.
Customizability. If your 'Plan B' alternative to outsourcing is tweaking a plan you found online, you might want to stick to 'Plan A.' Consultants will review your business practices and recovery objectives, and customize their existing frameworks to cover your needs. This gives you a powerful mix of breadth and depth that you won’t get from a DR 'Plan in a Can.'
Speed. Consultants have done this before. They don't need to triple-check a dozen Web sites to be sure their bases are covered. If you're new to DR planning or feel like you've been missing something, an outsider will help you speed things along without wondering about gaps in your coverage.

Drawbacks

Before you run into the arms of the nearest consultancy, however, keep these negatives in mind.

Cost. Consultants aren't cheap. On a per-hour basis, you will absolutely spend more on an outsourced DR planner than you would for a full-time employee with similar experience. That said, you probably don't yet have that employee, and if you do, he or she may not be available.
Time. Didn't I just say that consultants were faster? On a task-per-task basis, yes, but to come up to speed, they'll need to interview your employees and review your documentation. If you haven't performed a serious business process review in a while, this could reveal some productive insights, but it will eat time you might be able to save doing the job yourself.
Understanding. All the interviews in the world won't provide the full picture of how your business works (and by extension, how to restore it to working order). To bridge this gap, you'll need to dedicate time and staff to review any plans consultants create, every step of the way. Again, this isn't a waste of time at all, but it is a time cost.
Losing Control (and Your Mind). You don't want to outsource too much. Consultants do not have as much long-term stake in your business as you and your employees. Giving too much power to an outsider can remove you from critical decision-making processes and cause more headaches than it solves.

Doing the Math

So how does it all add up? Pretty well, on the whole. If you have a well-documented DR plan that you review and test frequently, and you're satisfied with its impact on your staff, don’t fix what isn’t broken. If this isn’t the case, you could do worse than an external review. Shop around, ask for references and treat your first engagement as a blueprinting session, rather than a lifelong commitment, but an outsider's perspective could whip you into shape that you wouldn’t otherwise reach.