How To Create A Disaster Recovery Plan: The Complete Guide

Updated August 15, 2022

Disasters can happen to anyone, at any time. A natural disaster, such as a hurricane or tornado, can leave your business destroyed. A cybersecurity incident can cripple your systems and cause massive data loss. And even a simple power outage can bring your business to a standstill.

Risk management is a key part of running any business, so no matter what type of disaster strikes, it's important to have a plan in place for how you will recover and resume operations. This guide provides small businesses with step-by-step instructions for creating a disaster recovery plan.

What is a disaster recovery plan (DRP)?

A disaster recovery plan, or DRP, is a critical part of any business continuity strategy. It outlines how you will recover and resume operations after a major incident or disaster.

Disasters can strike your most critical infrastructure through ransomware attacks, a DDoS attack, natural disasters, data breaches, or even a power outage.

There are many things to consider when creating a disaster recovery plan, including data backup and restoration, IT infrastructure, employee safety, and more.

You need to make sure that your IT systems are resilient and can withstand a major incident or disaster. Employee safety is also critical. You need to make sure that your employees know what to do in the event of a major incident or disaster.

Why do you need a DRP?

One of the main reasons to have a DRP is to protect your business from the financial impact of a major incident.

A disaster can cause significant damage to your property and equipment, as well as disrupt your operations and sales. Without a disaster recovery plan in place, you could lose weeks or even months of revenue while you try to rebuild your business and recover your critical data.

A DR plan can also help you maintain customer trust and loyalty. If you suffer a major outage or data loss, customers may go elsewhere for their needs. A solid disaster recovery plan gives you peace of mind that you can handle any incident and keep your business running, and your customers loyal.

Lastly, having a disaster recovery plan can help you meet compliance requirements. Many industries have specific regulations dictating the steps businesses must take to ensure continuity in the event of a disaster. By having a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in place, you can be sure that your business is meeting all relevant compliance standards.

What should be included in your DRP?

When creating a disaster recovery plan, there are several key recovery procedures you will need to consider. Some of the most important include:

Data backup and restoration: Any backups should be able to be QUICKLY restored in the event of a disaster. Hosted private cloud backup solutions can provide this and are widely available.

IT infrastructure: Your disaster recovery plan should include details on how you will rebuild your IT infrastructure in the event of a disaster.

Employee safety: Your employees are one of your most valuable assets. You will need to have a plan in place for ensuring their safety during and after a disaster.

Communication plans: You will need a plan for communicating with employees and customers during and after a disaster.

Business continuity plans: You may also need to have plans in place for continuing your business operations in the event of a disaster.

Along with a disaster recovery plan, a business continuity plan will keep your operations moving in the event of a disaster.

This could include things like:

Backup facilities
Alternate work arrangements
Communication plans

If you have employees who work remotely, they will need access to their work files and systems in the event of a disaster. Having cloud based solutions and a remote backup solution in place so that you can continue to operate even if your physical infrastructure is damaged or unavailable.

How do you create a DRP for your business?

Creating a disaster recovery plan can be a daunting task, but by following these simple steps, you can make the process easier:

Start by assessing your business's needs and vulnerabilities.

Start by assessing your business's needs and vulnerabilities. What could cause a major disruption to your operations? What data or systems are most critical to your business? You'll need to have a clear understanding of these things to create a complete disaster recovery plan.

Next, you'll need to identify potential risks and threats and create a strategy for mitigating them. This might include cybersecurity and network security measures, backup and restoration plans, and employee training.

Draft a plan that outlines how you will respond to different types of disasters.

When creating your disaster recovery plan, it's important to consider all possible types of disasters that could occur. Some of the most common disasters include fires, floods, and cyberattacks.

Your disaster recovery plan should outline how you will respond to each type of disaster. For example, you may have specific procedures for dealing with a fire, such as evacuating the building and calling the fire department. You should also have procedures for dealing with data loss or damage, IT infrastructure failures, and employee safety..

Test your plan regularly to ensure that it is up to date and effective.

Once you've got the plan in place, start testing! Keep testing the plan until you're sure that risks have been addressed and you are confident.

Think of this as your health and safety team would treat a fire escape plan:

Make sure all employees are familiar with the plan
Update the plan as needed
Practice the plan regularly
Have a backup plan in case of emergencies

Train employees on how to execute the plan in the event of a disaster.

It's important to train your employees on how to execute the plan in the event of a disaster.

They need to know what to do and where to go to minimize the impact of the incident. They should also be familiar with your business continuity strategy so they can continue to operate as normally as possible.

Train employees on how to:

Backup data
Restore data
Access IT systems
Respond to emergencies

...but what happens if your employees are unable to access the building or your computers are down? In these cases, it's important to have a backup plan for responding to emergencies. Your plan should also include:

Contact information for key employees
Alternate work locations
Instructions for accessing company files and systems
Contact information for vendors and service providers
Emergency response procedures

With these steps, you can create a complete disaster recovery plan that will help protect your business from a major incident.

Need a little more to get started? Read our previous article: 5 Reasons Your Business Needs A Disaster Recovery Plan

What are the benefits of having a DRP in place?

Disaster recovery planning helps ensure that your business can keep operating in the event of a major incident or disaster.

It also helps you to be more prepared and responsive in the event of an emergency. Having a DRP in place can also help you to avoid or minimize business interruption, data loss, and other damages.

How often should you test and update your DRP?

Once the plan is made, you're not finished - any DR plan should be regularly tested and updated. This involves rehearsing your plan, simulating disasters, and making sure your team is familiar with the procedures. You should also review your plan regularly to make sure it still meets your needs. Changes in technology or business operations may require changes to your DRP.

A disaster recovery plan, or DRP, is a critical part of any business continuity strategy. It outlines how you will recover and resume operations after a major incident or disaster. There are many things to consider when creating a disaster recovery plan, including data backup and restoration, IT infrastructure, employee safety, and more.

A well-crafted DRP can help your business minimize the impact of a disaster and resume operations as quickly as possible. If you need assistance in getting started with your disaster recovery planning, GAM Tech offers end-to-end solutions for any disaster recovery or business continuity planning.