Disaster Recovery (DR)
Explore Disaster Recovery (DR), a critical strategy for mitigating the impact of unexpected events on business continuity.
Definition
A Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a documented set of strategies, procedures, and actions an organization follows to recover and restore critical IT infrastructure and operations following a disaster or disruptive event. It provides a roadmap for restoring systems, data, and business functions to minimize downtime and ensure business continuity.
Explanation
A Disaster Recovery Plan is a proactive approach to mitigate the impact of a disaster on an organization's operations. It outlines the necessary steps, responsibilities, and resources required to recover critical systems, data, and services in a timely and efficient manner.
A well-designed DRP typically includes:
Risk assessment: Identifying potential risks and threats that could impact business operations, such as natural disasters, cyber attacks, power outages, or equipment failures.
Business impact analysis: Assessing the potential consequences of a disaster on critical business functions, including financial, operational, and reputational impacts.
Recovery objectives: Defining Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) to determine the acceptable downtime and data loss limits for different systems and services.
Strategies and procedures: Outlining the strategies, procedures, and technical approaches to be followed during the recovery process, including backup and restore procedures, failover mechanisms, data replication, and communication plans.
Roles and responsibilities: Assigning roles and responsibilities to individuals or teams responsible for executing the recovery plan, including contact information and escalation procedures.
Testing and maintenance: Regularly testing and updating the DRP to ensure its effectiveness, identifying any gaps or weaknesses, and making necessary adjustments to address changing business requirements or technology landscapes.
A robust DRP aims to minimize the impact of a disaster, restore critical operations promptly, and ensure the safety and well-being of employees and stakeholders.
Related terms
Disaster Recovery (DR): The overall process and strategies followed to recover critical IT infrastructure and operations following a disaster.
Business Continuity Planning (BCP): The broader process of developing strategies and procedures to ensure the continuous operation of critical business functions during and after a disaster.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO): The maximum acceptable downtime or duration within which systems and operations must be restored after a disaster.
Recovery Point Objective (RPO): The maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time, indicating the point to which data must be recovered to resume operations.
Crisis management: The process of effectively managing a crisis or disruptive event, including communication, decision-making, and coordination of response efforts
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