How to Best Prepare Your Technology Disaster Recovery Plan

Brian E. Thomas, Interim CIO, City of Lawrence, KS

In today's digital world, businesses are highly dependent on technology to manage their daily operations. From customer data to financial records, businesses store all their critical information in electronic devices or in the cloud. While technology has simplified many business processes, it has also brought new challenges, including the risk of technology disasters such as system failures, cyber-attacks, and natural disasters. A technology disaster can cause significant damage to your business, including lost revenue, decreased productivity, and loss of customer trust. Therefore, it's essential to have a disaster recovery plan in place to minimize the impact of any technology disaster. In this blog post, we'll provide a step-by-step guide on how to best prepare your technology disaster recovery plan.

1. Identify potential risks

The first step in preparing a technology disaster recovery plan is to identify potential risks that could impact your business. These risks could include system failures, cyber-attacks, natural disasters, power outages, and human error. Once you have identified the potential risks, you can create a plan to minimize the impact of those risks on your business.

2. Assess the impact of potential risks

The next step is to assess the impact of each potential risk on your business. Consider how each risk could impact your business's operations, financials, and reputation. This assessment will help you prioritize which risks to focus on first and allocate the necessary resources for each.

“A technology disaster can strike at any time, and it's critical for businesses to be prepared.”

3. Define recovery objectives

Once you have identified potential risks and assessed their impact, it's time to define recovery objectives. These objectives should include specific metrics, such as recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO). RTO is the maximum amount of time your business can afford to be without a critical system or data after a disaster, while RPO is the maximum amount of data your business can afford to lose after a disaster. Defining recovery objectives will help you create a roadmap for your disaster recovery plan.

4. Create a recovery team

To ensure the successful execution of your disaster recovery plan, you need to assemble a recovery team. This team should consist of individuals from different departments and should include a disaster recovery coordinator, an IT manager, and a communication manager. Assign clear roles and responsibilities to each team member and train them on their duties to ensure a smooth recovery process.

5. Develop a data backup plan

One of the most critical components of a disaster recovery plan is data backup. Regular data backup ensures that your critical business data is safe and secure in the event of a disaster. You can choose to back up your data on-premises, in the cloud, or both. Consider the frequency of backups and the type of data you need to back up to meet your recovery objectives.

6. Establish a communication plan

Effective communication is key to managing a disaster and minimizing its impact on your business. Establish a communication plan that outlines how you will communicate with your employees, customers, and vendors during and after a disaster. This plan should include contact information for key personnel and a communication protocol for each potential disaster scenario.

7. Test and refine the disaster recovery plan

Once you have created a disaster recovery plan, it's essential to test it regularly to ensure that it works as intended. Testing your plan will help you identify potential weaknesses and refine the plan accordingly. Consider running tabletop exercises or simulations to test your plan and provide training for your recovery team.

8. Keep the disaster recovery plan up to date

As your business evolves and technology changes, your disaster recovery plan needs to evolve too. It's essential to keep the plan up to date and review it regularly to ensure that it remains relevant and effective. Make sure to incorporate any new risks and changes to your IT infrastructure into your disaster recovery plan.

Final thoughts

A technology disaster can strike at any time, and it's critical for businesses to be prepared. A robust disaster recovery plan includes a step-by-step instruction plan in the event of a disaster. It’s important to note that annual testing of your plan is a key component to successfully recovering your systems and data. Be sure to include stakeholders in your plan and communication so they can provide support and help identify any risks in your plan. Planning, preparing, and testing are the key to your success.

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