The Essential Steps
Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) can be a daunting task. The varying needs of stakeholders. The multiple teams to consult with. The time required to consult with everyone and plan – it can seem so overwhelming. But it doesn’t need to be. We’re going to walk you through the basics of creating a fully functioning DR plan. Need a template? No problem. Download our free IT Systems Disaster Recovery Plan template.
Ensure Critical Service Levels are Continually Met
A Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) ensures critical services are delivered after a disastrous service disruption.
A thorough DRP includes:
- Plans, measures and arrangements to ensure the continuous delivery of critical services
- Identification of necessary resources to support business continuity
With a DRP in place, the organization can quickly recover data and assets required for productivity.
Additional benefits include:
- Improvement in overall organizational efficiency
- Identification of human resources and financial resources critical to service delivery
Simplifying Disaster Recovery
Where should businesses start when creating a DRP?
Consider ranking critical systems by importance and using defined backup levels (based on the criticality and restore time requirements) when starting a disaster recovery plan.
Budget also plays an important role in planning. However, organizations should prioritize their recovery requirements and then make decisions based on budget.
The 3.2.1 Rule
When creating the plan, a best practice is always to ensure that three (3) copies of data are always available:
- In production
- Stored as a local backup copy
- Stored as a copy off-site – preferably with a cloud backup service provider
By following the 3.2.1. rule, organizations create an “air gap” between on-premise systems connected to the local area network and the offsite backup. This ensures data is safe and unaffected by the risks identified in the DR plan.
Start Planning – HostedBizz can help
Get your free Disaster Recovery Planning Template
Our HostedBizz experts have put together a comprehensive DRP template, designed to uncover critical gaps in your clients’ data protection strategies. This IT Systems focused Disaster Recovery Plan will enable you to complete an in-depth, value-added review with your clients that reflects the needs of their unique IT environments.
This DRP template download includes:
- A Full Backup and Recovery environment overview
- In-depth snapshot of the current state of your client’s backup and recovery setup
- Complete recovery procedure framework that is adaptable for organizations in any industry, of any size
- Workflow and framework examples
- A completely editable design, ready to be branded as needed
- Expert advice from a HostedBizz backup and recovery expert