In an instant, your operations could face interruptions. From cyber attacks to weather disasters to technology downtime, having a disaster recovery plan for print and mail is imperative.
While you may have one in place, how confident are you that it’s the best? Ask yourself, if my operation were to be disabled for any period of time, how long would it take to get the mail out? There could be gaps in the workflow and high costs associated with cold sites. So how do you determine if your program is cost-effective, efficient, and compliant?
What Is a Disaster Recovery Plan for Print and Mail?
A disaster recovery plan for print and mail involves a set of processes to ensure business continuity of your transactional communication operations. Typically, you would engage a third party to handle this, but not all programs are the same.
It’s crucial to understand these differences so you can make the best decisions for your business.
Cold Site vs. Hot Site Disaster Recovery
There are two main options for disaster recovery—cold sites and hot sites. Cold sites have many drawbacks that make them questionable for delivering true continuity of operations. They have been the traditional option, but hot sites are gaining popularity.
Cold sites operate as they sound. The site is “cold,” meaning it’s not on-demand and ready to go. A cold site must be activated.
This approach has many gaps. They usually only cover disaster scenarios. There is no standard process in place to make this handoff, and the provider has to “learn” your workflows and requirements.
There’s also an annual fee to participate, along with subscription and declaration costs. Delays are normal as well since production has to ramp up, which means you could experience delays with compliance consequences.
Hot sites are the opposite. They are on demand, as the provider runs a portion of your jobs every month. They understand how your system works and can immediately begin production. They can even produce a different type of letter or statement each month to ensure they know how to print and mail all your communications.
Hot Sites with ACTIV dR
Our ACTIV dR program operates as a hot site. You also won’t pay annual, subscription, or declaration fees. The monthly payment is simply the cost to run that part of your mailings.
ACTIV dR covers planned and unplanned disruptions, including high-demand periods (e.g., end of year or tax time), labor shortages, or equipment failures.
We also maintain two truly redundant sites so production can begin at either. We ascribe to Lean Manufacturing and the White Paper Factory, which support efficiency and reduce costs. Lean Manufacturing ensures there are specific workflows, which we audit continuously to improve.
The White Paper Factory is a framework that maximizes materials. Operators feed large rolls of white paper into commercial inkjet printers so every page prints at the same time. It eliminates the need for pre-printing templates, inserts, and change-outs.
The Best Disaster Recovery Plan for Print and Mail is ACTIV dR
Don’t let an interruption to production derail your transactional print and mail jobs. By partnering with us and our hot sites, you can be confident you’re not jeopardizing business continuity or compliance.
Connect with our experts today to explore ACTIV dR.
