A disaster recovery plan is the collection of documents and procedures used to restore IT operations after an accident, attack or natural disaster. What matters is that it has been tested and can be executed, not merely that it exists on paper.
Step 1: Criticality analysis
Classify systems by business importance: Tier 1 cannot tolerate hours of downtime; Tier 2 can recover within days; Tier 3 can tolerate weeks. This classification shapes the entire DR budget.
Step 2: RTO and RPO targets
RTO is the recovery time objective: how quickly a system must be restored. RPO is the recovery point objective: how much data loss is acceptable. Together, these metrics determine your DR architecture.
Step 3: Runbooks
- Step-by-step recovery procedures for each critical system
- Clear responsibilities through a RACI matrix
- A communication plan defining which stakeholders are informed through which channels
- Up-to-date contact details for critical suppliers
- Documented alternative locations and access methods
Step 4: Testing
We recommend at least one full failover exercise annually and a tabletop exercise each quarter. An untested plan offers hope rather than proven recovery capability.
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