DRP stands for Disaster Recovery Plan. A DRP is a documented process or set of procedures to recover and protect a business IT infrastructure in the event of a disaster. The main goal of a DRP is to allow an organization to continue to operate in the face of serious incidents or disasters that might otherwise cause a significant disruption to normal business operations.
What are the key elements of a DRP?
A comprehensive DRP will include details on the following key elements:
- Emergency response procedures – Instructions for immediately responding to a crisis to contain damage and minimize disruption.
- Recovery procedures – Step-by-step procedures for recovering assets and components of the IT infrastructure to restore normal operations.
- Roles and responsibilities – Documentation of roles, responsibilities and decision-making hierarchy to facilitate response.
- Contact information – Contact details for employees, suppliers, key stakeholders and disaster recovery teams.
- Vital records backup – Identification and prioritization of key information assets and processes requiring backup.
- Technology recovery – Plans for recovering core systems, applications, data stores etc.
- Alternate facilities – Details for identifying and setting up alternative temporary IT facilities.
- Training and testing – Plans to validate and test the effectiveness of the DRP and ensure staff are aware of procedures.
- Maintenance – Process for maintaining and updating the DRP document and procedures.
Why is a DRP important for an organization?
Having a tested and maintained DRP in place delivers a number of important benefits:
- Minimizes downtime – A DRP helps get mission critical systems back online quickly.
- Maintains continuity – A DRP provides a blueprint for continuing operations in the midst of a crisis.
- Protects critical assets – A DRP identifies key assets and outlines backups to protect vital records and data.
- Avoids confusion – DOCUMENTED plans avoid confusion and delays in responding effectively.
- Maintains reputation – Quick and organized crisis response helps maintain stakeholder confidence.
- Fulfills compliance – Some industries require documented DRPs to meet regulatory compliance.
- Reduces costs – Effective response can reduce the costs associated with system downtime.
- Provides peace of mind – Knowing critical systems can be rapidly restored is reassuring for staff.
In summary, a DRP is a vital component of any organization’s risk management and governance procedures. Given the heavy reliance on IT systems and digital information in all industries today, no organization can afford to be without a DRP.
What kinds of disasters could a DRP help recover from?
A DRP can provide an action plan for responding to and recovering from a wide variety of disaster scenarios including:
- Natural disasters – Floods, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes that damage facilities and infrastructure.
- IT failures – Critical system failures, data corruption, cyber attacks, computer viruses.
- Loss of utilities – Electricity, water or telecommunications outages.
- Human threats – Terrorism, sabotage, vandalism, data theft.
- Operational disasters – Explosions, critical equipment failure, supply chain collapse.
- Pandemics – Health crises that restrict access to facilities.
The specific disasters included in the plan are tailored to the risk profile of the organization and its operating locations. But in general, any incident which has potential to impair IT operations, damage infrastructure or restrict facility access should be considered in DRP planning.
What types of organizations need a DRP?
Virtually any organization which depends on IT systems and digital information to conduct its core operations should develop a DRP tailored to its needs. Some examples of organizations that need DRPs include:
- Corporations
- Government agencies
- Non-profit organizations
- Healthcare providers
- Financial institutions
- Educational institutions
- Call centers
- Transportation companies
- Media companies
- Utility providers
- Law firms
- Retailers
- Technology companies
Essentially if an organization relies on computers, servers, online data, websites, databases or other IT systems to conduct its key business operations, it should invest in developing a DRP aligned with industry best practices.
What are the key steps in developing a DRP?
Developing a detailed and robust DRP involves the following key steps:
- Conduct business impact analysis – Identify critical systems, processes and dependencies and quantify potential impacts of disruption.
- Define recovery objectives – Specify Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) for systems and data.
- Document response procedures – Detail the immediate response and mobilization process for managing a crisis event.
- Specify recovery plans – Develop playbooks to recover infrastructure, systems, vital records, facilities etc.
- Outline testing & maintenance – Validate recovery procedures via tests, exercises and plan maintenance.
- Train staff – Educate employees on DRP activation, implementation and ongoing responsibilities.
- Obtain executive approval – Review with executive leadership and obtain official sign-off for DRP.
This process involves significant research, analysis and documentation. Most organizations engage a project team including IT staff, facilities managers, risk managers, executives and external consultants to develop the DRP. Auditing standards like ISO 22301 provide a useful framework.
What key information does a DRP document contain?
The DRP document is structured into sections covering the various plan elements. This typically includes:
- Introductory Material – Background, scope, distribution list, amendment log etc.
- Plan Activation – Leadership authority, invocation procedures, escalation paths.
- Emergency Response – Containment strategies, damage assessment, reporting processes.
- Recovery Procedures – Technical recovery steps, backup retrieval, system rebuild.
- Roles & Responsibilities – Response team structure, key roles, decision authority.
- IT Disaster Recovery – Application, server, network recovery steps.
- Vital Records Recovery – Backup site details, offsite data retrieval.
- Alternate Facilities – Temporary location specifications, setup procedures.
- Testing & Maintenance – Test schedule, audit process, plan maintenance steps.
- Awareness & Training – Orientation program, education modes, exercise schedule.
The DRP contains all the detailed information, procedures, contact lists and forms needed to effectively manage disaster response, recovery and restoration efforts.
What are some key mistakes to avoid when developing a DRP?
Some common pitfalls to avoid when developing a DRP include:
- Not securing senior management support
- Failing to allocate adequate budget
- Not forming a cross-functional planning team
- Undervaluing the time required to develop the DRP
- Focusing only on IT recovery without addressing facilities, staff availability etc.
- Not tailoring the plan to the organization’s unique risk profile
- Failing to validate recovery procedures via testing
- Not keeping the plan updated as the business evolves
- Neglecting to adequately educate employees on the DRP
Avoiding these common missteps and aligning DRP development with standards like ISO 22301 greatly improves the likelihood of creating a robust and actionable disaster recovery plan.
How often should DRPs be reviewed and updated?
Industry best practice is to review and update DRPs at least annually. However, if there are major changes to an organization’s business, infrastructure or risk profile then the DRP should be updated accordingly. Examples of changes that may prompt an immediate DRP update include:
- Moving to new facilities
- Major new IT implementations
- Mergers, acquisitions or divestitures
- New regulatory compliance obligations
- Shifting products, services or markets
- Senior leadership changes
- New significant emerging threats
A DRP should be a living document that evolves as the organization evolves. An outdated DRP that does not reflect the current business environment severely reduces its effectiveness as an actionable disaster response tool.
How can organizations test and exercise their DRPs?
There are a range of methods to validate DRP effectiveness including:
- Walkthroughs – Talk through recovery procedures with DRP team members.
- Simulations – Model disaster scenarios and response in a controlled environment.
- Parallel testing – Execute recovery steps using replica test data.
- Full-interrupt tests – Switch business operations from primary to alternate facilities.
Any testing should be followed by a structured debrief process to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. Testing validates that the DRP is actionable and helps educate employees on their disaster response and recovery roles.
What are the elements of a business continuity plan vs a DRP?
Business continuity planning and disaster recovery planning are closely aligned but focus on different objectives:
- Business Continuity Plan (BCP) – Focuses on sustaining an organization’s critical business operations during and after a disruption. Includes items like crisis communications, staff contingency planning and business function continuity.
- Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) – Focuses on the resumption of technology infrastructure and capabilities after a disruption. Deals with the rapid restoration of IT systems, applications, data and network operations.
Some organizations merge both plans into an integrated Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan. But even then, the different scopes and aims of business continuity planning vs disaster recovery planning need to be recognized.
What are some key software tools to help with DRP efforts?
Specialized software can assist with various aspects of disaster recovery planning including:
- Risk assessment – Tools to quantify risks across locations and systems.
- Business impact analysis – Applications to model business disruption scenarios and impacts.
- DRP documentation – Platforms for collating DRP information into a central repository.
- DRP auditing – Checklists and questionnaires to validate plan completeness.
- File backup – Solutions for automated regular backup of vital digital assets.
- Incident management – Systems to log and track recovery incidents.
Specialized DRP platforms integrate many of these capabilities into a single solution. But a combination of mainstream office tools like word processors, spreadsheets and databases can also achieve good results.
Conclusion
Developing and maintaining a Disaster Recovery Plan is a fundamental component of operational risk management for any organization reliant on IT systems and digital assets. A robust DRP provides a detailed roadmap for responding to disruptions, safeguarding critical information, and restoring normal operations as swiftly as possible.
While requiring a significant investment of time and resources to develop properly, an actionable and proven DRP brings immense value in terms of minimizing downtime, protecting an organization’s reputation, and building enterprise resilience.
With increasing uncertainty and hazards in the world, no executive team can afford to neglect having a comprehensive DRP in place for their organization.