A business disaster recovery plan is a document that outlines how a company will recover from a major catastrophe. This plan should include steps to take in the event of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or tornado, as well as measures to take if the company experiences a data breach or cyber-attack. Having a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) in place can help your business rebound quickly and minimize the damage caused by an emergency. Below we will discuss the key components of a DRP and why your business needs to have one:
1. What is a business disaster recovery plan?
Your organization should write its DRP in a step-by-step format that includes the processes and procedures they will follow in each event or situation. When creating your company’s disaster recovery plan, you must pay close attention to the following:
- The critical systems within your organization (e.g., accounting, inventory control, etc.) – all these systems need to have a data backup plan and a mapped-out course of action for how to back up and restore each system if necessary. You should also list what could happen if a certain system were unavailable during a time of crisis. For example, could it stall daily operations? How long would it take to get the system running again?
- The location of your data storage center, if the company has one
- Your communication plans (e.g., communication with employees, customers, etc.)
2. Why should my business develop a disaster recovery plan?
Having a DRP in place can save you time and money. By putting this plan in writing, it allows everyone within the organization to know their role during an emergency or crisis; it also ensures that each person follows the same safety protocols when doing their part to ensure the organization’s survival following an event. Having a written disaster recovery plan can be beneficial for both individual businesses as well as large organizations because it serves as protection against not only natural disasters but other types of emergencies that could cripple your business, such as cyber-attacks or data breaches.
3. What are the core components of a business disaster recovery plan?
A good DRP will include items like:
- A primary and secondary site for your organization to run its daily operations from in case the primary location becomes inaccessible. For example, if a natural disaster destroys your company’s building, you can bring everyone together at an off-site location where employees can work toward getting their systems up and running again. You should prioritize functioning computers over permanent desks since it will be easier to move around temporary furniture than it would be to install new computers after everything has been set up correctly.
- A backup data storage system that includes a backup device, a secondary storage system, and a pre-formatted hard drive. This can be helpful in the event of a cyber-attack or data breach. To reduce downtime, your organization can keep vital company information stored on an external hard drive and housed in a secure offsite location.
- A backup internet service provider (ISP) for your organization operates under different protocols than your current ISP, so it is more difficult to compromise the network by hacking into this secondary connection source. For example, you could use two ISPs both with different routing protocols so it would be more complicated for cyber attackers to figure out which port to hijack.
- Names, phone numbers, and email addresses of important contacts within the community who are not employees of the business, plus a contact at your ISP
- Plans for securing your organization’s data from cyber-attacks and how your organization will initiate those plans post-attack. This is important because it helps prevent loss of data during a time when you need to remain operational. For example, you could shut down all devices connected to your network so there are no unsecured connections or move systems offline so hackers cannot access them during an attack.
4. How often should my company review its disaster recovery plan?
Your organization should review its DRP regularly. Technology laws and requirements change over time, which may affect how your organization needs to implement the plan. You should also reassess your business continuity plan on an annual basis to account for any new employees and key stakeholders.
5. The 9 Minimum Steps That Should Be Included in Business Disaster Recovery Plan
Follow these nine steps to creating a successful DRP that your company can use for reference.
- Write down potential risks
- Identify assets of importance
- Develop criteria of what’s important to protect
- Identify capabilities required for recovery
- Evaluate the criticality of systems and services
- Determine business continuity requirements
- Create an action plan
- Test the plan
- Update the plan, if needed
Conclusion:
A DRP is an important part of any business continuity plan. By having a comprehensive plan in place, you can minimize the damage caused by a disaster and get your business back up and running quickly. If you are not sure where to start, the Medical ITG team can help you create a custom DRP that fits your unique needs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help keep your business safe during times of crisis.
