6 steps to creating a disaster recovery plan

While it may seem like working through a pandemic is your worst-case scenario, you should still take time to cover all the bases. With your location quiet and your team disbursed, you may be more vulnerable than ever to emergency situations. Here are the 6 basic steps for creating a disaster recovery plan, so you don’t get caught unprepared for the next crisis.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you evaluate the integrity of your IT operations in the context of disaster preparedness and recovery.

1. Developing Your Disaster Plan 

In creating your Disaster Recover Plan, take time to consider the following: What are your goals and objectives? What is the breadth and scope of your plan (including multiple business locations, if necessary)? How will your plan be conveyed to your staff? And how will you conduct regular tests to be sure implementation is smooth?

This is also a good time to consider the array of incidents that could threaten your business, whether flood, fire, earthquake, cyber attack, or massive power outage. Not every business faces the same potential threats, and your concerns may be unique to your geographic location.

2. Create a Communications Strategy

In consort with your Disaster Recovery Plan, do you have a Disaster Response Plan outlining your communication strategy, key roles/responsibilities, and a clear hierarchy of command?

Consider that due to COVID-19, your team is likely disbursed and much of your staff may be telecommuting. Do you have multiple ways to contact key players as necessary?

3. Do a Risk Analysis

Have you conducted a Business Risk Analysis or a risk assessment to determine the most critical business activities? Conducting research in advance will help you prioritize decisions if the time comes for emergency response.

4. Document Vendors and Suppliers

Do you have a contact list for associated vendors and suppliers so you can initiate recovery? Are emergency situations addressed in your service level agreements? All this information should be contained in your plan.

5. Data Backup and Retrieval

Do you have systems in place to retrieve your data if your location-specific equipment is destroyed? Do you have on-location servers or archived data that still needs to be backed up to the cloud?

Just because your data is situated on the cloud, doesn’t guarantee it is properly backed up. We usually recommend both a local backup and cloud backup, or two cloud backups for redundancy. Whatever the case, backups should be on a frequent and regular schedule to reduce the risk of lost data when crisis strikes.

6. Conveying and Testing Your Plan

Now comes time to test your plan. Have you properly shared your disaster plan with your team? Have you taken the time to conduct trainings or simulations to prepare your staff for different scenarios? A Disaster Recovery Plan that just sits in a drawer and has never been tested is virtually worthless. But one that’s in circulation and has been practiced regularly is as good as gold.

Always remember: chance favors the well-prepared. Maybe now is a good time for you to start the preparation.

The team at LimeTech has a lot of experience helping companies shore up their systems related to data backup and recovery. If you’d like to make sure you have proper data redundancy or you’re ready to move your data to the cloud, don’t hesitate to reach out. We can also help guide you through the process of creating a Disaster Recovery Plan. We’re happy to help.

LimeTech is a creative tech company with a focus on innovation and adaptive change. We use technical know-how, design skills, and deep experience in entrepreneurship to help companies advance their business goals. Do you need IT planning, mobile app development, web design, or remote work solutions that will take your business to the next level? Get in touch today and find out what we can do for you.