Friday, September 21, 2012

What is Disaster Recovery

The present day businesses are beginning to demand more from their information systems. With a lot of competition in every field this demand is inevitable. To meet these rising demand the outer limits of technology is being stretched. This in turn is putting a lot of responsibility and pressure on the quality of service provided by the Service organizations. A standard re-active service cannot provide rational solutions to the problems. A more pro-active approach is necessary to address such problems, which can run mission critical operation in today’s heterogeneous pool of clients or server networks.

If the applications of the enterprise are not well planned, taking into consideration all the aspects of the data loss, the lacking criteria can cripple the disaster management completely. A system breakdown can cost the company tens of thousands of dollars per minute. Considering the days it would take for recovery in addition to per minute loss, the overall financial loss would amount to a huge sum.  Selecting, implementing and maintaining a data disaster recovery infrastructure is a challenging job to do. You can definitely avoid taking chances and consult a professionally experienced, equipped firm with high available technology.

In order to understand the recovery process, it is necessary to first assess the current state, identify ways of extenuating the risks and finally make a thorough plan of recovery. Disaster Management employs tools to inspect the infrastructure risks and also identify the danger in the process, prioritizing the system restorations. It is important to make sure that the team is built of experienced individuals to look after the aspects of data loss and disaster recovery and building up test procedures for various irked situations. There should be a well designed plan that can overcome all disasters in a limited time span to avoid major financial loses. Such recovery operations in the Disaster management are usually shifted to a remote service centre to get back on track within the recovery time, objective and the targets.

In the initial years IT professionals took disaster management to be a simple data recovery process of files with data in case of computer or disk failure. But the scenario has changed with increased complexity in data handling and management. Today’s concept demands the constant availability of complex data and the notion of data being made available within a short period of time in case of an unfortunate data loss or disaster.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Things to Know to Get Started for Telecom Disaster Planning

Planning is very essential, be it a party or disaster planning. If you own a company, just try putting these questions to yourself. What if your disaster management company cannot use its computers for a day? What if all your communication systems fail? A sudden communication system outage, even for a short duration can result in huge financial losses and inconvenience to your business. It is definitely not advisable to afford such disruption.

A proper planning for any type of interruption in the telephone or the data service should be the prime objective for any business. However, unfortunately the importance of urgent communication and disaster management is only understood only when an outage occurs. A little planning in advance can save you from the tension of interruption of service and the commotion created because of the same.

Any business should be prepared for certain events like a power failure, network outage, failure of the communication systems and any disaster affecting your region of work. During disasters the telecom systems that are powered by local electricity trip down due to lack of power drastically affecting the ability to communicate. Any Disaster Management Team should first pay serious attention to these facts. A loss of communication network holds customers from placing orders even affecting the local business. Thus, restoring the telecom service would bring life back to the business. Companies that have telecom disaster plan are always better prepared for outage due to any reason.

In the past, disaster management was very expensive and unaffordable to most of the companies. With new technologies, now there are less expensive options available even for smallest telecom budgets.

Efficient plan:

An efficient plan is the one that is capable of bringing back your resources as fast as possible. It may include anything from jotting down a plan on how to re-route the telecom services to purchasing automatic routing arrangements along with a carrier. The plan also requires redundancy in components and the systems to provide continuous operation.

It is important for you to understand all of your services, the value provided and the impact on your business if the service goes off for a period of time while you are designing the disaster plan. Knowledge of the most common parts of the service that might likely fail and how that failure will affect your business and its connectivity is also very important.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Understand the Concept of Business Analysis

Business Analysis is very important for the application of successful projects that give business value and product long lasting advantages in the corporate environments of today. So, the role of business analyst has transformed with that of project manager, to begin and accomplish increasingly complicated projects in the business environments of today.

The process of realizing business change requirements, analyzing the influence of those changes, catching, assessing and documenting needs and then helping the communication and delivery of those needs with appropriate parties is called Business Analysis.

Four tiers of business analysis are as follows:

1.Strategic planning: The analysis of strategic business needs of the organization

2.Analysis of business model: The description and analysis of the policies of the organization

3.Definition and design of Process

4.Technical business analysis: The understanding of business regulations and needs for technical systems

A business analyst assesses the design and organization of business, and also analyzes business models and their combination with technology. The position of business analyst is placed uniquely in the organization to offer a powerful link between the Information Technology and Business Community.

History of Business Analysis

During 1970s systems analysts took charge for documenting present processes based on manual paper, recognizing issues and new business needs, and then these processes were automated with computerized systems. This offered important savings in staff and also improvements to services related to customers through easy access to electronic information.

Companies began to change their IT systems to take benefit of latest technology throughout 80s and 90s as they tried to make savings and enhancements in service. The role of systems analyst changed to business analyst in this period.

The role of business analyst has also changed from a person who was a part of business function and worked with IT to enhance the quality of services and products being delivered from IT to someone who collects the requirements of business, helps in integration, supports the growth of training and application material, takes part in application, offers support for post-application, can offer skills of project management and more.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Things to Know About Disaster recovery

Disaster recovery is one of the most crucial issues of the present time. A disaster is an unplanned event which occurs without prior prediction. And it is almost impossible to predict the extent of damage a particular devastation will cause. Thus, it is always better to keep yourself prepared for the tough times. In order to cope with the situation efficiently it is necessary to develop an elaborate Disaster recovery plan with an efficient built in mechanism; this will enable immediate response the critical situation.

Weather it is sudden outbreak of war, global warming or eruption of volcano, there are some common problems that are encountered. It is these challenges that form the very basis of Disaster recovery. The most common problem is communication and the problem of sharing information. Due to lack of proper equipments and large number of individuals involved in the rescue team it becomes very difficult to share vital piece of information between the active teams. In any of such conditions, the best way of communication is the two way radio. At the time of crisis, many a time, mobile phones and landline services get overloaded and thus crash. It is an unreliable source for communication during disasters.

Lack of proper communication between the rescue teams makes it difficult for people to understand the gravity of problem. Thus, the rescue teams are left with no clue as to when to evacuate the danger zone and where to shift the inhabitants. Arranging enough resources at right time also seems cumbersome. In Disaster recovery everything is planned, as to which resources will be required by whom and how will it be made available at the right time. There arises a need to assess risk factors and decide the course of action to be taken in different situations. It is also necessary to issue warning at needed times by a reliable source.

Global warming is one of the burning issues these days. A lot of forums for discussions on the issue are active and the media debates between the right and wrong. But the fact remains that the problem poses a grave danger to mankind. A continuous rise in the global temperature is a cause of worry and is increasing with the passing time. Global warming is expected to have devastating effects like retreat of glaciers, rise in the level of the sea across the globe, change in the pattern of rains and a lot more. Now the time has come to open our eyes widely and try to look at the serious problem we are about to encounter and act accordingly by devising an appropriate plan for controlling and managing this disaster.

Significance of Communication in Disaster Management

Any disaster can have unforgettable memories on one’s mind. However, it is very necessary to be alert during the crisis time. The following article emphasizes on the role of efficient communication during the time of disaster.

A disaster may be defined as a series of events that occur rapidly and with no prior intimation in the area that you manage. At this point, your communication skills will act as an added advantage in collecting all the possible information on the reasons and consequences of the disaster from all the victims and the witnesses. Your role as an Emergency manager would be take decisions immediately in favor of the current situation. Disaster management is the most important task to be performed during the crisis situation. An emergency manage is expected to pool up all the information on the situation form all possible sources and provide the superior in charge with a single stream of information.

During an adversity, Disaster Management fails mainly in the communication systems. With well wishers being worried about their loved ones the communication networks for all the mobile phones almost crash, posing grave failure to the Disaster management team’s communication to its head quarters. It is very important to think about how long a mobile system stays functional for during a disaster condition.

This is the point where choice of selecting the right communication equipment is highlighted. If the communication system fails, no matter how efficient the disaster management and rescue team is they will fail to function because of inefficiency in passing vital information to each other.

The Disaster Management Team should review their emergency equipment for the following details;

1. Review the mobile phones of all the employees in their contact list.

2. Check for spare batteries, fully charged and ready to go for all phones relied on during emergency.

3. Check for the working ability of land line phone in case of power failure or PC shut down.

4. How to manage multiple conversations on individual phone without hanging up on any one in different emergency teams.

5. Ensuring that the response teams have their communication equipment with them at all times.

In addition to all these facilities, using the communication system in an efficient way is also obligatory. All this requires a dedicated training for emergency situations.

Invocation Procedures of Disaster Recovery

Alert mindedness and presence of mind is very essential during any disastrous condition. The following article is to throw some light on the procedures that are employed at high level during the first 24 hours following catastrophe incantation. This procedure is known as a “Warm” recovery service for the victims.

Soon after a disaster, well defined steps have to be taken to ensure that the business continues normally and also the victims are given immediate relief from the situation. The steps followed usually during the first 24 hours may be defined as follows


Initial Assessment: Immediately (T+0)

Following a disaster, it is very important to first assess the condition and the extent of harm incurred. This is done by specialized officials like Disaster coordinators who decide whether or not the Disaster Management Team is required to be summoned. The pertinent emergency service in the local area is to be informed first. The Disaster Management Team would act as the main command center for the emergency services. It may be some times necessary to pre-inform the Disaster Recovery service as a standby to save response time if its services are needed. 

The Management Team also needs to have detailed information along with telephone numbers and directions in the Business Continuity Plan.


Meeting of the Disaster Management Team: With in an hour (T+1)

If the need be, the available members of the Disaster Management Team may hold a meeting with in an hour of the disaster to document the plan which is to be agreed by even those members who aren’t available at the time of the meeting.

The Disaster Management Team would have to perform the following roles.

1. Define the main problem

2. Identify the extent of the disturbance

3. Establish the impact on the business.

4. Calculate approximately the outage length

5. Summon the Disaster Recovery service if germane.

6. Officially set up Disaster Command center

7. Agree with the objective of the team for the next 3hours

8. Give consent to formal verbal report for senior management and the staffing available at the given time.


Disaster Review Meeting: With in 2 hours (T+2)

At this stage the team should have the detailed understanding of the condition and should provide a written report to the senior management. By this time a temporary Disaster Command center would be set up and the essential staff members are mobilized.

Improve Your Online Business with Online Business Analysis

It is always better to turn back and evaluate your progress and growth when you are running an online business. Online business analysis is very important to run a successful business. There are various factors to consider while analyzing an online business. It would be better to remember that online businesses are unique, while analyzing the productivity and flow of your business. They are not like normal businesses, the concepts and aspects of online businesses are different from regular businesses.

It would be good to do some research first of all while doing business analysis, as online businesses are very unique. You can take some online courses to get more knowledge on online business. By taking these courses you will understand different aspects that can enhance the flow of your business. You would have to join the course and pay some fees to learn all those things, these courses are highly recommended. The expense that would be facing would be worth as it would add to your business. You can consider this as a vital investment in business in order to enhance your business.

The step that is mentioned above should be very easy for an online business that is well-established. But if your business is not on the stage of boom yet you should do a business analysis to know that can you do to make it better. Subscribing to online business magazines is one that you can do to improve your business. These magazines mention tips on analyzing the business on regular basis. Another option is reading articles and publications online. This kind of education may not be as focused as taking a separate course on particular topic, but this will greatly help to take decisions in future.

No matter how you educate yourself about online business analysis, all materials will mention some common factors that should be considered always. Internet marketing strategies is one of the most important things to consider. Internet marketing strategies are almost similar to advertising. Site banners, search engine optimization, search engine marketing and e-mail marketing are some of the examples of internet marketing strategies. All these things help to enhance the number of your prospective customers.

Click here to get more ideas about Business analysis and get professional help.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Business Analysis : Do You Know what it is all about?

If you want your business to survive, especially during difficult economic situation, your business should be unique from your competitors. New concepts, idea and innovation become very important in the success of a business. This needs both a planning vision and creating conditions that can be accomplished through some enhancements and internal modifications. This task is achieved through a procedure called Business Analysis.

Business Analysis is an assessment of operations of a firm or an enterprise concentrated at realizing each and every aspect of how the firm or an enterprise is working including its people, performance, objectives, goals and procedures.

The first step in the process of software consulting is Business Analysis because it recognizes enterprise requirements and assists in building the solutions need to meet these requirements. Though, business analysis is technically different from quality assurance, testing, training, organizational development, project management and financial analysis, but they are connected to each other.

It is necessary that organizations analyze the conditions and the mood for initiating a business. If you have no idea about how the business functions, what makes it profitable, what are the challenges involved in a business and where it is moving, it is most probably not moving in the right direction. 

Over the course of time, good practices have been innovated that include a range of steps. The first and most important step is to acquire a basic realization of the business and then move to ultimate design, arrangement and accreditation of available solution that meets the needs of an organization appropriately. List of steps involved in the process of business analysis are as follows:

1.Knowing about the business

2.Analyzing the competitors

3.Analysis of market

4.Defining the objectives and scope of project

5.Collecting requirements

6.Analyzing requirements and documentation

7.Creating the appropriate solution

8.Application and testing of the solution

It could be a challenging project to successfully accomplish an effective business analysis project. It will mostly include a combination of innovating, persuasion, systemic thinking, modeling, communicating root cause and many other skills. It is a process that includes reasonable communication with other members of the team, so good team work skills are very important here.

To learn more about business analysis visit http://www.tlconsulting.com.au/testing-services/technical-business-analysis

Business Analysis and Its Importance

Businesses need efficient and effective business analysis today so that one can maintain the competitiveness in a highly competitive world of business. Effective analysis of business involves taking information collected from different sources and assessing the intention of predicting trends of future, enhancing business operations, finding ways to make enhancements in strategies of business and making smart decisions in business to enhance the bottom line of the company. Knowing important marketing areas is very important to help a business to produce revenue and minimize on excessive wastage.

Effective business analysis can include market research analysis like assessing consumer information from sources such as polls, consumer surveys, records etc. Sometimes it can also include product and service analysis, financial analysis and inventory analysis. Effective analysis of business helps in taking the right decisions that can save money and time that are being wasted while fixing any issues and also coming up with right solution. The consequence of finding the right solution is completion of project within time, strategies are implemented with the results helping the business, and there is good monitoring the project that makes way for the best adjustments that leads in positive result.

With effective business analysis manager can be assured that correct information is spread and understood by the entire team of project. With the right information, the team can work in an effective way to make a plan that can be successful. You can find effective software and applications for effective business analysis today that not only allows the managers to keep up with present trends of consumer shopping but also predict the trends of future. For example, a supermarket that assesses and records the purchases of customers will be able to create and implement strategies of marketing around the personal shopping habits of customers. Information from surveys is another example of analyzing the details to decide the appropriate way to promote products and services.

Along with consumer and business analysis, financial analysis is also equally important for a business. This includes analyzing inventory costs, statements of profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flows and budgets. By doing efficient analysis on financial aspect, a business can recognize spending waste and concentrate properly on operations to increase the profits of business.

Business Analysis : What it is?

We all know that fact of working life is funny many times, you have to wear different types of hats while at work no matter what is your professional title.

Your professional or official title may call you as a technician, an engineer, manager or analyst, but the responsibilities that you carry looks like you handle everything at your work. So, are you a programmer/project manager/designer/communication manager/accountant/web designer/process manager/ technician/tech support specialist/inventory manager/sales representative/financial analyst/administrator/ customer service/ product manager?

Business analysis is also similar to this. Some firms and organizations still have no idea about the meaning of business analysis. It acts as a responsibility in different titles such as, ‘financial analyst’, ‘consultant’, ‘business architect’, ‘system analyst’, ‘database architect’ etc. You may be performing

Why Business Analysis is Necessary?

Since so many people in a firm or organization can do it, let’s try to understand the role of business analysis and not the title of the job.

Business Analysis is the group of methods and tasks used as a foundation to communicate with members to know and convey the policies, characteristics and functions of an organization, and to suggest solutions that helps the organization to accomplish its targets.

The following procedures are involved in Business analysis.

1.Recognizing the opportunities and needs of a business

2.Collecting, analyzing and certifying requirements

3.Writing and conveying requirements to members

4.Creating a plan to gather needs, explain scope clearly, and perform changes according to requirements

5.Ensuring that the requirements are written properly, specifically and are complete.

6.Making sure that the solution is perfect to the requirements

Normally, business analysts are effective in collecting and documenting the requirements of business before planning and implementing a project. Business analysts take part in analysis of enterprise and work to define the scope of a product clearly.

Business analysts are important in the analysis phase in SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle). This is a phase where many people who do business analysis spend their time with final goal being to get the correct requirements of project first time.