Disaster Recovery Plan |
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A Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a proactive technology intensive action plan that ensures the
timely and effective restoration of Information Technology (IT) systems, data, and information in case of a business interruption event. Like the BCP,
a DRP is formally executed and managed by executive or mid-level management personnel. However, the implementation of a DRP is performed by subject
matter experts within the enterprises technology environment.
A more formal definition of disaster recovery is:
"Disaster recovery is a set of activities aimed at reducing the likelihood and limiting the impact of disaster events on vital and/or
critical business technology"
A DRP is a "live document" that is aligned and/or infused into the operational capabilities and technology infrastructure of the enterprise.
As a proactive management controlled program, a DRP mitigates the technology related consequences of a business interruption event to a level
acceptable to management. Also, the DRP provides a proven and tested methodology to effectively permit resumption of interrupted business
technologies such as databases, operating systems, client/server and telecommunications. Without an effective and working DRP, businesses can
experience significant cash flow reduction with excessive financial expenditures due to any of the following:
- Inability to maintain customer support due to excessive system downtime
- Excessive "non-budgeted" expenditures on technology to resume normal operations
- Inability of key vendors to supply needed equipment within the time frames defined by business objectives
- Loss of vital and/or critical business data (AP/AR, client records, databases, etc.)
- Inability to validate data process flows and data integrity
- Increase in employee stress and decrease in moral
- Loss of key employees to perform recovery work effort
- Key revenue generating projects are delayed or cancelled
- Negative or misaligned public perception
Think of your DRP as the technology intensives action plan that helps to ensure full functional and data integrity with validation.
At a very minimum every business must back up their vital and critical data. However, without the means to ensure system uptime with data integrity,
time and money spent on data backup is wasted. An effective DRP is about validating and ensuring the ongoing operational capability of business
technology. A well tested and validated DRP provides the following value to your business enterprise:
- Ensures the integrity of backed up data stores from any location
- Validates the ability of the technology teams ability to restore vital and critical systems within the time frames defined by the business
- Minimizes and/or mitigates financial losses due to excessive system downtime
- Ensures the on-going availability of key business data and system operations
- Compliance to government sponsored regulations such as the HIPAA Security Rule 164.308(a)(7)(i), GLBA, Sarbanes-Oxley, and Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) FPC-65
- Ensures the timely and effective resumption of key technology intensive functions
- Marketed correctly Ð can increase revenues while differentiating your business
- Mitigates corporate and personal liabilities
- Positively enhances public opinion
With the infusion of new and emerging technologies to support business requirements, your business enterprise cannot afford to operate
without a well executed DRP. Disaster recovery is here to stay and Contingency Now is here to help you develop an effective and workable system
recovery program that supports your business operations continuity.
If your technology team has not effectively restored your vital and/or critical IT systems, data and information back to its original
condition, within the define Recovery Time Objective (RTO), and in alignment with business deliverables, then you need Contingency Now's DRP
planning services today!
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