Businesses must identify their key needs before they set up a data recovery service such as an online data backup strategy, it has been stated.

According to InTechnology on ZDNet, many people do not think through the ramifications their lack of action would have if their company was hit by a disaster, with the source claiming that 43 per cent of firms would never re-open if they lost all company data.

However, if they are to jump into the world of disaster recovery, it should not be with both feet first, InTechnology asserts, noting that before everything else, a business needs to list which information must be prioritised.

Furthermore, companies must also categorise this data as well, as a tiered recovery system is very much promoted by the blog, as a full reinstatement in one go could take hours or days longer.

Earlier this month, ZDNet also stated that disaster recovery should never be seen as a burden to IT, in turn highlighting the ease of a system such as online data backup.

New research from Connect found that, on average, it takes businesses that use backup tapes take 11.6 hours to retrieve and restore files. Connect is now recommending that SMEs switch to online backup.