By Bill Detwiler | April 4, 2011, 7:15 AM PDT
In April 2011, I appeared as a guest on the ZDNet Webcast, "20 Ways to Prepare, Survive and Recover from an IT Disaster."

During the live, one-hour show, ZDNet blogger David Gewirtz, TechRepublic blogger Scott Lowe, TechRepublic Editor-in-chief Jason Hiner, and I discussed the critical importance of preparing for and responding to a disaster–natural or man-made.
Here's the complete list of 20 things the panel discussed:
Planning is key
Design disaster plans with "APIs"
Backup, backup, redundant backup
Set up alternate sites and backup HQs
Understand your entire supply chain
Choose vendors with rock-solid DR plans
There will be lawyers
There will also be germs
Define your chain(s) of command
Monitor the implementation of your plan
Test your plan with disaster drills
Operate DNS servers in multiple locations
Create a database of important master lists
Learn to ruthlessly prioritize
Put "the ship" first
Plan for people as well as servers
Develop and pack "bolts" kits
Train and educate everyone
Build for robustness and failure
Be flexible
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