One common myth is that “some businesses are too small to be targeted by a cyberattack”.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. 43% of cyber attacks target SMEs, and 60% of those companies go out of business within six months of an attack.
No matter your company’s size, location, or industry, a cyber attack is always a looming threat that could jeopardise its future.
Which is exactly why you must be prepared and have plans in place for the unexpected. This is where a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) comes in.
In this blog, we’ll cover exactly what a DRP is, how to create one, what to include, and why it matters.
What is a Disaster Recovery Plan?
A Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP), in simple terms, is a step-by-step guide that a business creates to quickly restore its IT systems, data, and operations after an unexpected event, such as a cyberattack, hardware failure, power cut, or natural disaster. It’s designed to ensure the business can recover with as little downtime and data loss as possible.
What it does and its key benefits
A DRP is basically your company’s plan for when things go wrong. Several different cybersecurity threats could lead to the implementation of a recovery plan.
Discover the different types of cybersecurity threats.
Instead of just hoping for the best, having a DRP is a proven and tested way to deal with unexpected events, keeping things running smoothly and protecting sensitive data and operations.
Minimises damage
A DRP helps your company get back on its feet quickly after a disaster.
It means you’ve already figured out processes like shutting down affected systems, switching to your backups, or focusing on essential services to reduce downtime.
Restores operations
The plan outlines how to restart business activities, particularly mission-critical functions such as communication tools, customer services, and financial systems.
This ensures staff and customers can get back to normal without long delays.
Safeguards assets
A core factor of any DRP is data protection.
Backups, cloud storage, and recovery processes ensure valuable business information and IT systems are secure and retrievable, even if the primary systems are compromised.
Ensures continuity
Beyond simply fixing the problem, a DRP supports the wider goal of keeping the business operational. It reduces the likelihood of long-term disruption, protects revenue, and maintains customer trust.
Ultimately, a Disaster Recovery Plan is a key component of a wider business continuity plan, but with a specific focus on restoring IT infrastructure and data.
Without it, even a short disruption could have lasting financial and reputational consequences.
What to include in a strong Disaster Recovery Plan?
Here’s what to include in your Disaster Recovery Plan:
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO)
A DRP must clearly state your company’s RTO and RPO.
The RTO is the maximum amount of time your company can handle being down after a disaster or unexpected event, i.e. getting back to normal in 30 minutes, 2 hours, or 12 hours.
The RPO is the most data your company can afford to lose, for example, an hour’s worth, 3 hours’ worth, or even a day’s worth.
Hardware and software inventory
When putting together your Disaster Recovery Plan, you’ll need a complete and up-to-date list of all your IT assets, including both your hardware and software, as both can be affected depending on the event.
It’s recommended that you sort them into three main categories: critical, important, and unimportant.
- Critical: Your business can’t run without these.
- Important: Used daily, and if they’re down, things get messy.
- Unimportant: Used less than once a day.
Make sure your plan covers all critical systems and software first, then as many of the important and unimportant assets as you can, in that order.
Identify personnel roles
A Disaster Recovery Plan should clearly outline who in the organisation is responsible for each step, including their names and contact details. Key roles include:
- Maintaining backups and business continuity systems.
- Declaring a disaster.
- Contacting external vendors.
- Reporting to management and communicating with customers.
Set out clear disaster response procedures
A key factor in any Disaster Recovery Plan is a documented procedure for responding to a catastrophic event. Your DRP should include clear action steps so that your staff know exactly what to do.
The first few hours of an event are incredibly important. The priority is to minimise damage to the company’s systems and get everything back to normal.
Identify your company’s sensitive data
Every company has sensitive data, personal information, financial details, and confidential company information that they need to protect.
A Disaster Recovery Plan must identify how this sensitive data is securely backed up, and who should have access to the original copy and the backups, both during normal operations and in the event of a disaster.
Clearly define a communication plan for disaster events
When disaster strikes, a company must have a clear plan for getting the essential info to everyone affected, including:
- Management
- Employees
- Company suppliers
- Customers
When there is a clear line of communication with company stakeholders and customers about a disaster, whether that be through updates via your website, email, or social media, customers and company stakeholders will feel reassured and are more likely to continue their relationship with the company.
Physical facility needs
If the disaster is physical, such as a flood or some sort of natural disaster, your company will need a plan to restore physical facilities.
Your Disaster Recovery Plan should outline the bare minimum needed to get back to normal, including office space, location, furniture, and hardware.
Run disaster recovery drills
Disaster Recovery Plans look great on paper, but can easily fall apart when they are needed most.
To avoid this from happening, run a drill and test your strategy in a realistic scenario.
Learn the lessons from the drill and update the plan to make it clearer and more effective for all parties involved.
A final thought
While creating a Disaster Recovery Plan may not be a fun task, it is essential for ensuring business continuity. It’s something you hope you’ll never need, but if the worst happens, you’ll be glad it’s there.
If you haven’t already put one together, now’s the time to start.
