Disasters are events that can have disastrous consequences for a business. Whether an act of nature such as a hurricane or tornado, a transit strike, a terrorist attack, or a pandemic, a disaster can adversely impact businesses in two different ways:

1. It can displace workers, leaving them unable to get to the office
2. It can destroy physical assets, including applications and data

A disaster recovery plan covers the hardware and software required to run critical business applications, the data that your company must maintain, and the steps necessary to maintain workforce continuity from remote locations.

Cisco provides the solutions, guidance, and best practices small and medium-sized businesses need to properly prepare for business continuity in the event of a disaster.

1. Storage solutions from Cisco include the Cisco MDS family of storage-area network (SAN) switches, with two products sized and priced specifically for the SMB market: the Cisco MDS 9020 Fabric Switch and the Cisco MDS 9216i Multilayer Fabric Switch. Create a SAN solution that can backup data to a remote site or multiple sites.
2. The Cisco Anywhere Office lets employees turn their companies or personal laptops, public Internet terminals, or other Internet-accessible wireless devices into fully functional offices from a remote location with an Internet connection. Built on Cisco remote-access virtual private network (VPN) technologies, the Anywhere Office enables access to company applications and network resources, including employee phone extensions and voicemail.
3. The Cisco Enterprise-Class Teleworker solution fully replicates the office environment at a fixed, remote location. This solution provides toll-quality voice services and video services and secure, robust, and centrally managed always-on high-speed VPN connections.