Updated October 2026. Originally published January 30, 2025.
Many businesses believe that because they back up their data, they have a disaster recovery plan. They don’t. A backup protects your data; a recovery plan gets your business running again, and the gap between the two is measured in days of lost work and revenue. In Uptime Institute’s 2026 outage analysis, 57% of respondents said their most recent major outage cost more than $100,000, and one in five said it cost more than $1 million (Uptime Institute).
Why a backup alone isn’t a recovery plan
The traditional approach, copying files to an external hard drive or a cloud folder, answers only one question: is the data somewhere safe? It doesn’t answer how quickly you can use it. When a server fails, you can’t walk into the nearest store and buy a replacement off the shelf. The new hardware has to be compatible, ordered, delivered and configured with the operating system, applications and settings your business runs on, all before the data can be restored. That can take days or weeks, especially when an entire environment is affected rather than a single computer.
Ransomware makes the gap worse. Ransomware was involved in 48% of breaches in Verizon’s 2026 report (Verizon DBIR), and many variants specifically look for connected backups to delete or encrypt them (CISA). If your only backup is plugged into the network, it may be the first thing you lose.
What a real recovery plan includes
Backups that can run your systems, not just store them. Starfish Computer uses backup hardware that can virtualize your critical servers and run them directly from the backup while failed equipment is repaired or replaced, so your staff can get back to work without waiting on a shipment.
Offline, encrypted copies. Keep offline, encrypted backups of critical data so ransomware can’t reach them (CISA).
Rebuild-ready system images. Maintain “golden images,” preconfigured templates of the operating system and applications that can be deployed quickly to rebuild a server or virtual machine (CISA).
Regular restore tests. Test the availability and integrity of your backups in a realistic disaster scenario (CISA), and time how long a full recovery takes. That number is your real recovery time.
Build an incident response team
Technology is only half of recovery. A disaster, especially a cyberattack, affects every department. Starfish Computer helps organizations form an incident response team that brings together key people from across the business: operations decides how work continues, marketing handles communication with customers and the public, and legal manages regulatory and notification requirements. CISA advises organizations to create, maintain and regularly exercise an incident response plan, with a communications plan and notification procedures (CISA).
The clock matters. Federally insured credit unions must report a reportable cyber incident to the NCUA no later than 72 hours after they reasonably believe it occurred (NCUA). And IBM’s 2026 research found that breaches taking more than 200 days to identify and contain cost an average of $5.65 million, compared with $4.32 million for those contained sooner (IBM via Baker Donelson). Starfish Computer can lead these planning conversations or support your team when the impact reaches beyond IT.
Find the flaw before a disaster does
Recovering quickly from an unexpected event takes the right tools and the right conversations. Contact Starfish Computer to review your current disaster recovery strategy, test a real restore, and build the incident response team and virtualization capability that will keep your business running when something goes wrong.
Protect your business: start with an assessment
The question isn’t whether your business will face a cyber threat, but whether you’ll be ready when it does. Since 1994, Starfish Computer Corporation has helped businesses across Northeast Ohio:
Assess current security posture and risk
Plan a cybersecurity roadmap aligned to NIST CSF 2.0
Implement the right tools and processes for your size and budget
Train your team on today’s threats, including AI-driven scams
Support and improve your security over time
Call (440) 808-0468 or visit starfishcomputer.com to schedule a security assessment.
About the author
R.J. Arhar is President of Starfish Computer Corporation. He has more than 35 years of experience in IT, served as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health, led IT operations for an international security company with more than 8,000 users, and is the author of Attack or Defend – When is Enough Cybersecurity Enough?
This post provides general cybersecurity guidance. Requirements vary by industry and business. Statistics are current as of October 2026; consult Starfish Computer Corporation for a plan tailored to your risk profile.