Disaster Recovery and its Importance

Okay, lemme give some background here – I’ve been at this since the ‘early ‘90s, back in the day when I started as a network admin when it was dial-up and PSTN was king for voice and data muxing, etc. Remember those days? Yeah, I have — and it has impacted how I think about Disaster Recovery (DR) today.

Disaster Recovery- it’s not some catchy acronym or tick box on your IT list. It’s the lifeblood of your business continuity. You can have the shiniest office, the most brilliant people coding away — but if when the shit hits the fan (and it will), your data and network are down for days? You’re toast.

Here is the thing — disaster takes many shapes. Cyberattacks? (Take the Slammer worm of 2003 — I watched in real time as it disabled networks around the world.) Hardware crash? Natural disaster? When you have a bulletproof DR plan, you will be able to recover much faster than competitors who only have a backup system.

But backups are only part of the equation. Your perimeter network must stand strong as well. If your firewall fails during an attack, your entire recovery strategy can be in jeopardy. That’s also why firewalls deserve particular focus in DR planning.

Role of Firewalls in DRP

Firewalls? Many are seen as gatekeepers, but they’re so much more. Firewalls in Disaster Recovery Plans (DRP) Role Firewalls in Disaster Recovery Plans a) A firewall defends the internal network and resources such as servers, systems or devices from external network or potential attack or damage.

• They apply policies even on failover
• Prevent unauthorized access to systems in recovery mode
• Isolate and secure backup systems from threats

Like, I’ve been in rooms while engineers freak the hell out when the primary firewall blows during an incident. It’s… not pretty. And that typically means wasting those precious minutes, if not hours, configuring a replacement to take its place if you don’t already have a spare on standby.

Here’s a story from the trenches: It was just last year, and I found myself busy helping three banks upgrade their zero-trust architectures when we found ourselves in situations in which it was all about quick firewall swaps — and thank goodness for rental firewalls. Zero-trust requires airtight security everywhere, and then some, especially in the recovery after the storm, when systems are most at risk.

So the point is: Don’t underestimate your firewall’s part in DRP. It’s not just a matter of stopping hackers — it’s about keeping your recovery engine purring.

Rentals Offer Security on Flexibility

Now to the good stuff — FIREWALL RENTAL. I know, I know — is what most of us conjure over when we purchase firewalls, close warranty contracts and pray to the uptime gods. But renting your firewalls? Big win for disaster recovery planners.

Why?

• On-demand scalability. Just need a high-capacity firewall for a few weeks during a migration or emergency? Rent it. No long-term commitment.
• Cost-effective. It’s better to hire then waste lakhs on a dust-collector 90% of the year.
• Improved preparedness. Renting means you have rugged, enterprise-grade equipment at your disposal on a moment’s notice.

Here’s how I look at it in my world: Think of your firewall requirements as a backup car for a high-powered race team. You can’t race your racecar every minute of the day, but when it breaks down — boom — you need a roadable ride at the ready, no waiting, no haziness.

Rentals are cybersecurity’s back-up ride.

• You stay up to date with the latest tech without forking over a lot of money up front.
• Better testing of new firewall models before a complete purchase.
• An ideal option for companies that are scaling quickly or moving their security postures.

But they should still ensure that rental firewalls originate from services that really understand (ahem, actually care about) security, not just renting you stuff. Are firewalls good? A firewall is only as good as your policies and configurations — and those have to mesh tightly with your Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity plans.

PJ Networks Firewall Rental for DRP

This is not some theoretical issue at PJ Networks: This is our daily bread. Specialised for disaster recovery and business continuity is our firewall rental:

• Quick deploy: We have a batch of preconfigured enterprise firewalls that we have ready to ship as soon as you give us a call.
• Flexible Terms: Whether you need a firewall for a weekend firefight or a multi-month DR testing project, we’ve got you covered.
• Expert Help: we don’t just rent out hardware. We’re cybersecurity consultants — (yes I am one of those) — that ensure rental setups align with your security policies, to meet your DRP requirements.

And Dana for the win And speaking of which, after my whirlwind return from DefCon (I could now literally be in a DefCon recovery clinic somewhere) I’ve added some fresh perspectives in our rental portfolio around next-gen firewall zero-trust-ready devices.

I have even seen businesses become paralyzed when their DR tests fail — often because their security equipment wasn’t flexible or up-to-date enough. Renting firewalls takes a lot of those headaches away.

And for those curious about AI-powered security — cough — I remain unconvinced. Hardware should rent to give you control, not a black box where some algorithm determines whether someone is let in, or not. My advice? Stick to what works and what you understand, especially when disaster strikes.

Conclusion

Here’s the bottom line: Disaster Recovery is complicated- but your firewall policy doesn’t need to be regarded as a contributor to that complexity. Renting firewalls provides a practical, convenient, and economical means of maintaining reliable security in times of crises.

Some parting advice after over two decades in this business: If there’s one thing you remember about my experience—

Preparedness means having security gear — like firewalls — at readiness, not just backup data.

Keep your DR plans realistic. “Don’t buy security gear just to warm a shelf” if you’re not going to use it, he said. Rent if you can, plan for chaos, test a lot and make sure your firewalls are part of that plan.

Oh, and please — for the love of all things secure — quit ignoring your password policies. No, Password123 is NOT O.

Need a firewall on standby? Reach out to us at PJ Networks — leave it to us when your network’s got to rise from the ashes.

Sanjay Seth

Cyber Security Consultant
PJ Networks Pvt Ltd