Lowering Risk

One of the main goals behind a DRP is to reduce the amount of risk within an organization. In order to set disaster recovery goals that lower risk, an organization must first assess the different risks associated specifically with the organization.

Maintenance

In order to create an effective DRP, the plan should be updated on a regular basis. As operations, technology, and society continually change, it becomes important to ensure that the organization’s DRP changes as well.

Reducing Downtime

One of the main aims behind a DRP is to minimize downtime and maximize recovery. This is emphasized by strategizing how to react to specific situations in the DRP. Just because disasters can be unpredictable, does not mean that organizations should remain ill-prepared to deal with them.

What Is a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)?

A disaster recovery plan (DRP) is a set of instructions that explains how to respond to an unplanned incident that affects a business’s IT infrastructure in order to resume work as quickly as possible.

Simply put, a DRP is meant to help the IT department recover enough data and system functionality so the rest of the organization can successfully operate.

This may not result in complete functionality, but even minor restorations can allow a business to operate at a minimal level. In order to respond to a hiccup in a business’s IT infrastructure, the business must have a thorough, well-tested DRP.

Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery Planning

Individuals can have trouble disambiguating DRP from Business Continuity Planning (BCP), since both terms are often used interchangeably. The BCP is concerned with keeping all facets of business operations running following a disaster, while the DRP is concerned with restoring the business operations normalcy following a disaster.

To explicate the terms on a more granular level, in the case that a computer crucial to success stops working, the BCP becomes concerned with how to keep the business running without the computer (i.e. backup computer, pen and paper documentation, etc.). In the same case, a DRP is more concerned with fixing the original problem (i.e. discovering the root issue, calling an IT specialist, replacing the computer, etc.).

While both plans aim to minimize downtime and maximize efficiency in a business, a DRP is essentially a cog in the wheel of a BCP.

Onsite Storage vs Offsite Storage

While many organizations know they need to store and backup files, documents, and data somewhere they may not know where to store them. There are two main routes taken by organizations: onsite storage and offsite storage.

Onsite storage typically entails the use of basic storage devices such as: external hard drives, magnetic tapes, CDs, etc. to store data physically onsite. The benefits of onsite storage include:

Immediate access
Cost
Internet-free access

Offsite storage facilities use remote servers to store data using different cloud-based software. Offsite benefits include advantages such as:

Access from a variety of locations – Anywhere that has wifi can access the data if granted access (i.e. remote employees, employees in different branches/departments, etc.)
Data safety – Not only is the data preserved in case of a disaster, but other means of storage break down regardless of tragedy
Data collaboration between employees

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