9.4 Disaster Recovery Plan

Question 1

What are the different perspectives of the Disaster Recovery Plan?

Answer 1

People
Technology
Site
Data

Question 2

What is involved in the checklist for the People in a Disaster Recovery Plan?

Answer 2

Notify
Evacuate
Transport
Care (pay, counsel)
Care for relatives (counsel, financial support)

Question 3

What other considerations need to be taken for the People in a Disaster Recovery Plan?

Answer 3

How will you notify them of the incident?

Impact
Do staff need to turn in for work?
If disaster has affected their family - what will be their priority?
Can you provide transport to get them into work?
Do they need to be evacuated if they’re in work?

Question 4

What is involved in the checklist for the Technology of the Disaster Recovery Plan?

Answer 4

Alternative communications

Contingency sites

Question 5

What other considerations need to be taken for the Technology of the Disaster Recovery Plan?

Answer 5

What portions of computing and telecommunications infrastructure must be duplicated immediately?
How quickly do you need them? (minute / hour / day)
Did you prioritise your requirements?
Do you need external organisations to assist you? - did you notify them or prepare them in advance of your requirements?

Question 6

What is involved in the checklist for the Site element of the Disaster Recovery Plan?

Answer 6

Physical security provisions
Security guards

Provisions 
Flashlight
First aid kit
Two-way radios
Drinking water
Toilet paper 
Snacks
Toolkits

Emergency services
Fire
Police
Rescue

Utilities
Water 
Gas
Sewer power
Data comms
Telecomms

Building plans
Contact numbers

Replacement equipment
Up-to-date asset registers

Fuel suppliers
Pre-arrangements

Question 7

What other considerations need to be taken for the Site element of the Disaster Recovery Plan?

Answer 7

Do you know where all of your keys are?
Have you got hard copies of ALL of your important documentation handy?
Blueprints of the building operations and recovery site, network diagrams
What special equipment will you require?
Have you made advanced arrangements with fuel and transport suppliers to ensure organisation is supplied before other organisation so you can expedite plans?
Have you invited emergency services to property in advance of any disaster and provided them with building layout plans etc so that they can expedite their activities to minimise damage (and reduce recovery time?)

Question 8

What is involved in the checklist for the Data in a Disaster Recovery Plan?

Answer 8

Dynamic and static data
Back-up media
Compatibility
Transaction logs

Question 9

What other considerations need to be taken for the Data in a Disaster Recovery Plan?

Answer 9

What data is critical to run your business?
How will you recover critical data that are lost?
What media did you use to back up your data?
When did you last check that back-up media still functions appropriately?
Did you remember to upgrade any equipment at recovery site when upgrading main operations site so data will load correctly?