FromTheRanks™ of IT

Author Note: One New One Updated Post

DP Harshman — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:18:17 +0000

Author Note: One New One Updated Post - FromTheRanks™ of IT

Just a brief note to let you know about a new addition to and one change to fromtheranks.com ... Click on the title to read more [...]

FromTheRanks™ of IT - The Fundamentals of IT Described and Discussed

NotesOn: Risk Management – Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity – More

DP Harshman — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:49:51 +0000

NotesOn: Risk Management – Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity – More - FromTheRanks™ of IT

The subject of differences between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity came up again. During the discussion another idea came to me on how to graphically represent the two concepts, one that looks at the matter from another facet of the same jewel, ... Click on the title to read more [...]

FromTheRanks™ of IT - The Fundamentals of IT Described and Discussed

Author Note: Disaster Recovery Maturity Model Updated Plus

DP Harshman — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:40:12 +0000

Author Note: Disaster Recovery Maturity Model Updated Plus - FromTheRanks™ of IT

Have you ever had one of those "Duh!" moments? I had one today. I glanced at the Disaster Recovery Maturity Model table out of the corner of my eye and ... and I had somehow swapped Senior Management's DRMM Levels 5 and 6. ... Click on title to read more [...]

FromTheRanks™ of IT - The Fundamentals of IT Described and Discussed

NotesOn: Risk Management – Disaster Recovery Maturity Model

DP Harshman — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:35:43 +0000

NotesOn: Risk Management – Disaster Recovery Maturity Model - FromTheRanks™ of IT

Being able to gauge where one is at in regards to Disaster Recovery is an important part of Risk Management in particular and company management in general. The question is “Where do we stand?”, or, “How do we stack up against where we should be?”, or “How mature is our DR effort?”. ... Click on the title to read more [...]

FromTheRanks™ of IT - The Fundamentals of IT Described and Discussed

NotesOn: Risk Management – Datacenter Assessment – Part I

DP Harshman — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:10:25 +0000

NotesOn: Risk Management – Datacenter Assessment – Part I - FromTheRanks™ of IT

This post provides a high level overview of the best practices surrounding the selection of your Primary (or Production) and/or Alternate (or Disaster Recovery) Datacenters. The “excruciating” assessment details will be discussed in Part II but for them to make sense it is best to understand the framework in which they fit. Finally, while this is not an exhaustive dissertation on the subject it does address most if not all of the fundamentals, and with them under your belt you can more wisely determine your best solution. ... Click on the title to read more [...]

FromTheRanks™ of IT - The Fundamentals of IT Described and Discussed

NotesOn: Risk Management – Cumulative Recovery Time Objective

DP Harshman — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:58:45 +0000

NotesOn: Risk Management – Cumulative Recovery Time Objective - FromTheRanks™ of IT

A good friend and I were discussing Recovery Time Objective (RTO). During the conversation an heretofore “too obvious to mention” concept related to RTO crystallized into absolute clarity. There is a flaw in the basic definition of RTO, an assumption that is built into it that can have serious negative effects on a business during and post a disaster event. ... Click on the title to read more. [...]

FromTheRanks™ of IT - The Fundamentals of IT Described and Discussed

NotesOn: Risk Management – Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Definitions

DP Harshman — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 02:23:47 +0000

NotesOn: Risk Management – Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Definitions - FromTheRanks™ of IT

As promised, this is the next post in the series to address Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity. Its purpose is to define the key terminology used in the business of “DR and BC” so we are all on the same page. Why? Well, Socrates allegedly said “If you would speak with me you must define your terms”. Others have attributed this to Voltaire. But. Whomever first said it, they were absolutely, critically correct. To know anything at all about DR and BC you must first know and fully comprehend these terms as an absolute bare minimum. ... Click on the title to read more. [...]

FromTheRanks™ of IT - The Fundamentals of IT Described and Discussed

NotesOn: Risk Management – Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Essentials

DP Harshman — Sun, 15 May 2011 00:31:06 +0000

NotesOn: Risk Management – Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Essentials - FromTheRanks™ of IT

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity are becoming hot topics (again) so I thought I would refocus my efforts and leave other elements of IT Fundamentals for another day. It so happens that I have quite a few subject notes in draft mode, accumulated over the years, so I thought I would start with a basic, essential, outline of the subject. ... Click on title to read more [...]

FromTheRanks™ of IT - The Fundamentals of IT Described and Discussed

NotesOn: Risk Management – Disaster Recovery versus Business Continuity

DP Harshman — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 06:35:20 +0000

NotesOn: Risk Management – Disaster Recovery versus Business Continuity - FromTheRanks™ of IT

During a recent discussion the question came up: “What is the difference between Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery Planning?” A number of the folks I was speaking to had the idea that the two subjects were pretty much one and the same. But. Of course. They are not. Let’s find out why not. ... Click on the title to read more. [...]

FromTheRanks™ of IT - The Fundamentals of IT Described and Discussed

NotesOn: The Three Sins Of Software Development

DP Harshman — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 04:29:14 +0000

NotesOn: The Three Sins Of Software Development - FromTheRanks™ of IT

I recently received a software upgrade to a utility used widely by both IT and non-IT users alike to help maintain and protect their systems. I am planning on rolling it back to the prior version. Why? Because while the company invested a great deal of time and money in their new product … they violated all three primary sins of software development in the process, making it nearly unusable. [Originally published 01/18/2011. Republished to replace lost posting.] ... Click on the title to read more. [...]

FromTheRanks™ of IT - The Fundamentals of IT Described and Discussed