No one really expects disaster to strike until it does. One day, your systems are running perfectly and smoothly; the next, a ransomware attack locks down your files, a storm knocks out your servers, or a new intern accidentally wipes half a database.
Whether it’s a cyberattack, a natural disaster, or plain old human error, the consequences can be devastating. Without a proper plan in place, you risk losing your data, customers, and in some cases, the entire business.
Here is a step-by-step approach to creating a strategy that minimizes downtime and maximizes resilience in the face of chaos.
Step 1: Assess the Risks
The first step in disaster recovery planning is understanding what could go wrong. Different businesses face different threats, including environmental, technical, cyber, and human risks.
Environmental risks include floods, fires, earthquakes, or regional power outages that can wipe out your data if it’s not backed up. Technical risks, such as hardware failures, corrupted software, or network outages, can also result in lost assets.
Cybercrime remains on the rise, with phishing, ransomware, and DDoS attacks threatening your business. And lastly, mistakes made by employees or even malicious insider activity call for proper backup and disaster recovery solutions and planning.
According to ConnectWise, “When your client’s data goes missing, the clock starts ticking—and every second counts.” Following best practices for data backups and implementing BCDR software can help organizations avoid downtime and disruption.
Step 2: Identify Critical Assets and Processes
Once you know the risks, map out which systems and data are most important to your business continuity.
Look for applications that are essential for day-to-day operations, information that is most valuable, like customer records or financial data, and functions that must be restored first to avoid revenue loss.
For example, a retailer may prioritize their e-commerce platform and payment systems, while a healthcare provider might focus on preserving patient records first. You can classify systems into tiers of importance, so recovery efforts start where they matter most.
Step 3: Define Recovery Objectives
Two terms that are central to disaster recovery planning are RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective). RTO is the maximum acceptable downtime for a system or service, while RPO is the maximum amount of data that you can afford to lose.
RPO is usually measured in time. So, if your RPO is one hour, for instance, your backup system should save data frequently enough that you never lose more than 60 minutes of work.
Step 4: Choose Backup and Recovery Methods
There’s no universal approach to backups. Effective strategies often combine multiple methods for maximum security, including on-site backups, off-site backups, cloud backups, and hybrid solutions.
When you’re deciding on the appropriate solution, refer to providers and focus on factors like encryption standards, scalability, ease of recovery, and whether the system offers automation. Manual backups are prone to human error.
Step 5: Build a Response Plan
Your response plan is the playbook that your team will follow during an incident. It should clearly mention who is responsible for initiating the recovery process, how communication will flow, and what steps need to happen in sequence to bring critical systems back online.
This plan should be detailed but also practical. Make checklists and keep the plan clear and organized to avoid any confusion.
