Firms are risking their data by not putting suitable disaster recovery (DR) plans in place, an expert has warned.

Speaking at a Chicago data centre conference, Jon Toigo called for DR systems to be regularly upgraded and said that the best way to find out if the company's information is protected is to conduct fake disaster tests.

The chief executive of Toigo Partners International said that many firms shy away from carrying out such tests as they are not seen as "real work" and they are concerned about shutting down systems.

However, he pointed out that fire drills are still conducted in a similar manner to make sure everything goes smoothly when the real thing occurs and so DR tests should be viewed the same way.

According to the expert in DR, a test should include declaring a disaster, implementing mock recovery activities and monitoring the progress.

Then once the disaster has been dealt with, he advised that firms should document the experience – noting the response times, what went well and what problems were encountered.