Small businesses in IT have been told that there is "no question" about the importance of being prepared for a disaster, highlighting the importance of data recovery.

FalconStor said the ability to recover quickly and entirely from a site failure is "paramount" to a company's health, emphasising that such measures as an online backup service may be the difference between continuity and a major loss of earnings.

The organisation recommended a number of ways to go about considering a disaster recovery plan, including setting out a "well-thought-out and cohesive" strategy to avoid any problems caused by employees or external forces.

It continued: "The disaster recovery process - a subset of the business continuity plan - is most effectively implemented using a lifecycle that includes analysis, solution design, implementation, testing and acceptance, and maintenance."

Business Link continues to recommend that businesses opt for online backup in the UK, as well as the regular training of staff to ensure that anyone can help restore the system should it fail.

A recent survey for Connect found that one in ten companies has lost important data as a result of a backup failure. The company has now developed a unique online backup service for SMEs to ensure they can survive any disaster.