Disaster Recovery is the process an organization uses to recover access to their software, data, and/or hardware that are needed to resume the performance of normal, critical business functions after the event of either a natural disaster or a disaster caused by humans.
While Disaster Recovery plans, or DRPs, often focus on bridging the gap where data, software, or hardware have been damaged or lost, one cannot forget the vital element of manpower that composes much of any organization.
A building fire might predominantly affect vital data storage; whereas an epidemic illness is more likely to have an affect on staffing. Both types of disaster need to be considered when creating a DR Plan. Thus, organizations should include in their DRPs contingencies for how they will cope with the sudden and/or unexpected loss of key personnel as well as how to recover their data.
Disaster Recovery Plans are generally part of a larger, more extensive practice known as Business Continuity Planning. DR plans should be well practiced so that the key players are familiar with the specific actions they will need to take should a disaster occur. DR plans must also be adaptable and routinely updated, e.g. if new people, a new branch office, or new hardware or software are added to an organization they should promptly be incorporated into the organization's disaster recovery plan.
Companies must consider all these facets of their organization as well as update and practice their plan if they want to maximize their recovery after a disaster.
Business Continuity or DRP steps involve an extensive analysis of an organization’s business processes, IT infrastructure, data backup, resources, continuity requirements and disaster prevention methods. Secondly, it is the process of creating a comprehensive document encompassing details that will aid businesses in recovering from catastrophic events. Developing a disaster recovery plan differs between enterprises based on business type, processes, the security levels needed, and the organization size. There are various stages involved in developing an effective Disaster Recovery or Business Continuity planning.
The key phases and the plan steps are outlined below:
Phase I – Data Collection
- Project should be organized with timeline, resources, and expected output
- Business impact analysis should be conducted at regular intervals
- Risk assessment should be conducted regularly
- Onsite and Offsite Backup and Recovery procedures should be reviewed
- Alternate site location must be selected and ready for use
Phase II – Plan Development and Testing
- Development of Disaster Recovery Plan
- Testing the plan
Phase III – Monitoring and Maintenance
- Maintenance of the Plan through updates and review
- Periodic inspection of DRP
- Documentation of changes
An Enterprise appoints a Disaster Recovery team within the organization, which can actively involve in creating the plan steps, implementing and maintaining the plan. As a priority, businesses organizations create DRP templates as a basis for developing Disaster Recovery plans for the organization.
Very nice blog. Disaster recovery plans is a documented process to recover and protect a business IT infrastructure in the event of a disaster.
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