DR planning: Keep the future in mind

From one of our readers:
Mike is right in what he says but the real issue here is more Capacity Planning than DR planning. DR is one of today's popular topics that must recognize future capacity growth. Capacity Planning is the art (with 15 years experience I'd be reluctant to call it a science!) of predicting future hardware needs/configurations. The artist's palette must include:
- Current utilisation figures for cpu(s), disks, memory, network
- A knowledge of where queueing starts to become a problem for each of these
- Historic utilisation figures to build up growth trends
- An intimate knowledge of business plans
- An intimate knowledge of what the marketing department is up to
Input from the last two in the list can be used tomodify the predicted historic trends.
Capacity Planning is no trivial affair. Many IT/IS departments underestimate the computer resource costs of application changes, let alone the impact of a new application. Simulation and/or analytical modeling techniques are generally employed by professional Capacity Planners and even then the output is only as good as the input! Key to getting this right is excellent relationships with the right business representatives – something that's all too alien to many IT/IS departments. Business Managers often want to play their cards close to their chest for reasons of competitive advantage. The Capacity Planner must win the trust of the Business Managers to gain the right information. Never put a techie nerd into a Capacity Planning role - techie nerds and business managers are poles apart and the right information will not flow.
The Capacity Plan (a One Year Plan for budgeting purposes; a Three Year Plan for longer term acquisition planning) will provide, amongst other things, input to the DR Plan. The DR Plan is the key to keeping going when disaster strikes, the Capacity Plan is the key to keeping going every day.

Great advice as always. Under the heading of "everyone has an opinion", mine is that the driving factor behind the planning is the degree to which RTO's are established at the exec. level. If the CEO/CFO don't get it, you won't. Perhaps Mr. Talon has written or could write about how to get the non-technical execs. on board with the whole BC/DR program.