Disaster recovery plan

Definition

A Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a documented process that details how an organization will restore its critical IT systems, data, and technology infrastructure following a disruptive incident. It focuses specifically on technology and information systems, ensuring that operations can resume quickly after events such as cyberattacks, power outages, hardware failures, or natural disasters.

The goal of a DRP is to minimize downtime, reduce data loss, and maintain service availability. While a Business Continuity Plan addresses overall business functions, a DRP is narrower in scope and concentrates on recovering technology assets. A strong plan includes recovery procedures, backup strategies, and designated roles to ensure quick and efficient restoration.

Advanced

A Disaster Recovery Plan incorporates technical elements such as Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs), Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs), and failover systems. It often leverages redundancy strategies including cloud backup, data replication, and secondary data centers. Modern DRPs integrate virtualization, automation, and orchestration tools to speed up recovery.

Industry standards such as ISO 27031 and NIST SP 800-34 provide frameworks for developing and testing DRPs. Advanced plans include continuous monitoring, incident detection, and predefined escalation paths. Regular testing through simulations and drills is essential to validate readiness and improve recovery performance.

Why it matters

• Reduces the risk of prolonged IT outages and data loss.
• Ensures compliance with regulatory and contractual obligations.
• Protects business reputation by maintaining service availability.
• Provides a structured approach for technology recovery and continuity.
• Strengthens overall resilience against cyberattacks and disasters.

Use cases

• A bank recovering transaction systems after a ransomware attack.
• A university restoring online learning platforms following a server crash.
• An e-commerce company resuming operations after a data center outage.

Metrics

• Recovery Time Objective (RTO).
• Recovery Point Objective (RPO).
• Percentage of systems restored within defined timeframes.
• Frequency and results of disaster recovery testing.
• System availability and uptime levels post-incident.

Issues

• Failure to test recovery plans can lead to critical downtime.
• Insufficient backup strategies increase data loss risk.
• Poor alignment with business needs reduces effectiveness.
• High recovery costs if redundancy or cloud strategies are not in place.

Example

A regional hospital implemented a disaster recovery plan that included cloud-based backups of patient records and redundant power supplies. When a cyberattack encrypted its local servers, the hospital was able to switch to backup systems within hours. This allowed medical staff to continue accessing critical patient data, ensuring uninterrupted patient care and compliance with healthcare regulations.