Start Your Disaster Recovery Plan

A Backup Article Contributed by A.J. Vasaris

Assign Responsibility for Your Disaster Recovery Plan

Disaster recovery planning is identifying, documenting, and testing procedures necessary to keep your business operating. Many organizations avoid creating and updating their disaster recovery plan because of complexity and the time required to implement. When starting any project you need someone to lead the way, and of course to accept the blame if things go wrong. Assign someone as project manager who has the time and experience to manage this major task.

Before anything can be accomplished, the objectives and goals of the plan must be defined. Remember the old adage, "You can't draw a map if you don't know where you're going."

Brainstorm Disaster Scenarios

What would happen if your most critical functions were severely interrupted? What would it cost you in dollars, time, or lost orders? Quantifying these terms will show you how important your disaster recovery plan is to you and your company's well-being. Understanding the impact of a disaster and the risks involved will be the basis of building your plan.

Disaster recovery plans should address a wide range of potential situations that can affect your business. While certain risks are unique to different industries, typical scenarios may range from a fire, flood, criminal activity, or other situations you've encountered in the past or seen in global events such as 9/11 or a threat such as anthrax. A very effective way to discover what needs your attention and what needs improvement in your organization is to continually ask "What If? " questions.

Employees, managers and owners should get together to brainstorm situations and your reactions to each specific scenario, as well as how each threat impacts your business.

The Strategy of Your Disaster Recovery Plan

How will you operate if a disaster would occur? That is the question your disaster recovery plan must answer. The plan should list all business processes, phone numbers, vendors, customers and other documents required to operate. A major section of your plan will be devoted to your information systems, but remember there is more to your business than computers. Every asset, from computers to phones, from machines to cars, from services to products need to be addressed. And don't forget the building and your employees.

Your Disaster Recovery Plan is Never Done

An effective disaster recovery plan should never be "finished" and sitting on the shelf to be dusted off when a disaster occurs. It is important to record changes in the plan as changes occur in your business. No changes you say? What about financial records, inventories, vendor and customer lists, and personnel records at a minimum. Just take a moment to think about it. Your business changes everyday.

Not having a disaster recovery plan in place is foolhardy at best and reckless at worst. If your company does not have such an initiative, it is never too early to begin. Remember, disasters often occur without warning and may destroy your business. Review the plan on a regular basis and be prepared for the worst.