10

must-have

components in your disaster recovery plan

Read this if you are an IT director, information security officer, compliance officer, risk manager, or organizational leader interested in enhancing resilience and robust continuity strategies.

Organizations today must have the capacity and capability to respond and recover from unforeseen disruptions in a timely manner. A Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) acts as a guide for businesses, outlining strategies to mitigate risks, limit downtime, and expedite the recovery process during a disaster. 

Here are 10 must-have components to include in your organization’s DRP:

1. Purpose and objectives: Define the plan’s primary goal, which should be focused on strengthening the organization's resilience and continuity during disasters. The goal outlines objectives like minimizing downtime, safeguarding critical assets, and expediting recovery processes.
2. DR team and responsibilities: Designate the individuals responsible for plan implementation, clearly defining their roles and responsibilities during disasters. Include their contact information and escalation procedures to promote timely, coordinated responses and decision-making.
3. Disaster definitions and scenarios: Define various types of disasters that could impact the organization and establish criteria for declaring a disaster.
4. Notification and communication: Detail the procedures for alerting key personnel and stakeholders in the event of a disaster, including contact lists, communication methods, and escalation protocols to promote timely response and coordination. 
5. Business Impact Analysis (BIA): Identify critical business functions and assess the potential consequences of disruptions, prioritize recovery efforts based on the impact, and identify Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) for each function. Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) refer to the maximum acceptable time it takes to restore a system or service after a disruption. It defines the time frame within which operations must be resumed to avoid significant consequences. A Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the acceptable data loss tolerance in the event of a disruption. It specifies the maximum amount of data that an organization is willing to lose, determining the point in time to which systems and data must be recovered to resume normal operations.
6. Emergency procurement: Outline procedures for obtaining necessary resources and supplies during a disaster, including authorization protocols, supplier contacts, and procurement methods to facilitate the efficient acquisition of essential goods and services in the event of a disaster. 
7. Reconstitution: Detail the steps and processes for restoring normal operations after a disaster, including the sequence for bringing systems, applications, and infrastructure back online, as well as any post-recovery testing and validation procedures to confirm functionality and resilience.
8. Distribution: Specify how the plan is distributed to relevant personnel, stakeholders, and external parties, outlining methods of dissemination, version control, and accessibility during emergencies.
9. Testing: Outline the schedule, procedures, and objectives for regular testing and exercises to validate the effectiveness of the plan in mitigating disaster impacts, identifying weaknesses, and preparing personnel for response and recovery actions.
10. Maintenance: Detail the processes and responsibilities for regularly reviewing, updating, and revising the plan to reflect changes in technology, infrastructure, personnel, and business processes, maintaining its relevance and effectiveness in mitigating the impact of disasters.

For more information on disaster recovery planning or if you have questions about your specific situation, please don’t hesitate to contact our cybersecurity consulting team. We’re here to help.