It has occurred to me lately that the reason many otherwise savvy business people don’t spend enough time thinking about disaster recovery is because they don’t foresee themselves being part of a disaster.

And they’re probably right. We have millions of businesses and organizations in the U.S. and most will never be part of a disaster — a devastating flood, fire, hurricane, or earthquake.

What the majority, if not all, will experience is a disruption in service caused by an extended power outage, a broken water main, a cable cut by a nearby construction crew. Not the kinds of events that make headline news. But if they disrupt your operations for a time period you’re not comfortable with, they’ll feel disastrous pretty quickly.

What you need to recover in an optimal timeframe depends on the nature of your business. For some, 20 minutes of downtime is devastating. Others can wait days to restore operations. Talk with a recovery planning provider first about your business needs. From that discussion, a reliable provider will help you determine your disruption recovery technology needs.