by Cassandra Balentine
Disaster recovery (DR) plans provide assurance to print-related business that they can meet service level agreements (SLAs), even in the case of unexpected events.
The lifeblood of the print and mail industry is the SLA and failing to meet a deadline because managers did not consider the impact of potential contingencies can cost far more than an apology or penalty on a contract, which Steve Berman, director of risk and compliance, DATAMATX, says could cost the confidence of one or many customers.
“As we learned from the pandemic, print and mail operations are deemed critical business functions. Transactional printers deliver bills, checks, and other business-critical information to customers. Not having a DR solution would be as negligent as not having a data center disaster recovery plan,” says Kemal Carr, president, Madison Advisors.
“If your organization experiences a disruption due to a system failure, data breach, or natural disaster, you and your client may be open to fines, penalties, and legal action,” agrees Ernie Crawford, president and CEO, Crawford Technologies.
DR solutions can mean the difference between business as usual and insolvency. “Historically, print-to-mail operations are the last thing that a business looks at during their overall DR planning. Digital data usually recovers fairly quickly, however, print-to-mail operations take weeks, months, or even years to fully recover. Without the proper planning an organization can lose millions of dollars, directly affecting its bottom line. Moreover, steep fines are levied for non-compliance if regulations are not met or a SLA is missed,” shares Brian Murphy, director, operations, Mail-Gard, IWCO.
Print providers should take a proactive approach to DR. “DR is insurance to deliver your services in the event of a disruption,” stresses Crawford. It is critical to protect your operation and client data, but to also ensure you can quickly recover and resume operations with minimal disruptions. “It demonstrates your commitment to maintaining the trust of your clients and reputation. If you have a SLA to create and mail or deliver information within a specified timeframe, then a DR solution will mitigate your risk when a disruption occurs.”
Berman stresses that DR isn’t just cleaning up from a leaky roof or filing an insurance claim. “It could involve anything from equipment failure or supply chain disruption to a natural disaster or cyber incident. Business consumers of print services become more sophisticated and many require print providers to show evidence of a serious, professional commitment to disaster recovery,” he offers.
Should You Be Concerned?
Failing to deliver on business promises can lead to irrefutable harm towards a print business’ reputation.
Carr feels that while all production operations should consider establishing a robust DR plan, those operating under specific SLAs and state or federal regulations or those that produce documents exposing the organization to risk, such as policy cancellations, new account activations, and checks, rely most on the DR plan to minimize business losses and penalties.
Mary Ann Rowan, CXO, Solimar Systems, points out that print businesses often store critical data and customer information that could be lost or compromised in a disaster. “Transactional and direct mail printers are often at the top of the list regarding types of businesses that should be most concerned. These printers typically handle large volumes of data and require efficient failover recovery solutions to ensure they can continue operating without interruption.”
“You may think only providers that process transactional communications would need to be concerned about DR, but, in fact, all print providers should be concerned,” stresses Crawford. While transactional communications are time-sensitive with legal and financial implications and, therefore, have stringent SLA requirements with contracts that require DR, direct mail and marketing communications are just as critical to generating sales and acquiring new customers. “They both require handling large volumes of data and rely on complex systems and equipment. Any disruption due to a natural disaster or data breach can lead to significant financial losses, customer dissatisfaction, and damage to client relationships with both types of mail.”
DR plans along with robust solutions ensure a quick recovery of systems, customer data, and operations. They help ensure continuity by allowing print providers to maintain commitments to clients while preserving their business reputation, states Crawford.
All printers should at least take the first step of measuring impact, comments Berman.
“Measuring potential business impact of a system disruption is beneficial to even the smallest of print shops. However, transactional mailers have an added responsibility of processing data and producing product in a defined timeline in order for bills, legal notices, and statements to be delivered as part of the customer’s cash flow. Therefore, the computer systems, business processes, and information security of transactional printers is at least as critical to the business as the machines that put ink or toner on paper.”
What’s Included
A typical DR plan is multi-layered and well-documented, covering all elements of the operation, including supply chains, utilities, labor, and the physical plant.
DR solutions typically include several key features, says Rowan, including data backup and restoration, system replication, failover capabilities, and automatic failback. She explains that data backup and restoration services are essential for ensuring that critical documents can be quickly recovered in the event of a disaster. System replication and failover capabilities allow businesses to dynamically switch to a backup production system in case of a failure or outage. Automatic failback enables businesses to automatically switch back to their primary system once it is restored.
DR should cover anything from creating the communications to proofing and verification, printing, finishing, and distribution. “In many instances with compliance communications, printing departments and organizations are allowed to use B&W instead of color or default to a standard envelope, this is all dependent on your contracts and agreements,” shares Crawford.
“As an organization, you do not need to have extra equipment sitting in a warehouse for a test every 90 days or once a year. DR may just direct your output to a print vendor or partner on the other side of the country. DR can be simple or complex depending on your requirements, timeframes, and agreements,” comments Crawford.
Carr suggests starting with cross-training employees to form the basis of a business continuance strategy, enabling others within the organization to take on roles as needed.
Additionally, load balancing or contracting with an operation located in a separate geographic region reduces exposure to natural disasters, adds Carr.
Berman recommends management signal its commitment to the DR process by understanding the standards associated with business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) planning. “There are two main standards that many IT-based businesses use to build a DR framework. NIST Special Publication 800-34 details contingency planning for federal information systems and the international standard ISO 22301 deals with security as well as resilience and business continuity management systems requirements.”
He says the proper steps to a successful BCDR or contingency plan for both standards include a commitment from leadership; identifying the scope, resources, risks, and business impacts of various kinds of outages and threats; determining preventative controls to ensure continuous operations for critical systems; creating contingency plans and roles for recovery during and after a disruption; training key personnel in their roles and activities; testing the plan and conducting exercises regularly; and evaluating and maintaining the plan as changes occur.
“Implementation of these plans frequently requires an investment in additional equipment, software, services, or outside expertise, which is why management’s commitment to the process is key. A written plan that is only dusted off to change the review date is not very useful when the procedures and roles in it have been adjusted by events and neglect,” offers Berman.
“We consider it essential for every client to test on a regular basis, as critical communications workflows change over time and your recovery plan needs to keep up with those changes,” comments Murphy.
Keep It Simple
Print and mail providers are essential businesses that must have a contingency plan in place for unexpected events. DR plans help to ensure business continuity by allowing print providers to maintain commitments to clients while preserving their business reputation.
Sep2023, DPS Magazine
