Disaster Recovery Planning: Now is the Time to Start

Disasters can strike at any moment, and the impact can be overwhelming. Whether it's a natural disaster like a hurricane or an unexpected event like a cyberattack, it's essential to be prepared. That's why NOW is the perfect time to start planning for disaster recovery! I hosted a webinar with a colleague earlier this week on precisely this topic but I’ll summarize some of our key points here.

Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP) encompasses creating a roadmap for how your organization will respond to and recover from a disaster. This plan should outline the steps you'll take to minimize the damage, protect critical assets, and return to normal operations as quickly as possible.

Now is the time to start planning

Starting DRP now is essential because you never know when a disaster will strike and unfortunately the natural variety is only becoming more frequent. You could be fully operational one moment and then have everything come to a halt in the next. Preparation is key, and the longer you wait, the more difficult it is to implement a comprehensive plan.

Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how important it is to be ready for the unexpected. Many organizations have had to quickly adapt to remote work and unexpected changes to their operations. DRP provides a foundation so that your organization is prepared for any future disruptions; foreseeable and not.

You won't succeed

It's important to understand that disaster recovery planning is an ongoing process, and there's no guarantee of success. Things will break. Even with the best plan in place, disasters will cause significant damage. However, with proper planning and communication your organization can absorb and adequately respond to almost any worst-case scenario with knowledge of what to prioritize and how to triage.

There's always a path forward

Even when your disaster recovery plan has gaps, don't be discouraged. The important thing is to have a plan in place and take steps to continually improve it. There's always a path forward, and by starting now, you’re better equipped to handle future challenges.

Get started TODAY!

Disaster recovery planning can feel overwhelming, but it's easy to get started. Here are some steps to help:

• Assess your risks: Identify potential disasters that could affect your organization and evaluate the impact they could have. You will need to understand the impact of each risk and be able to articulate how you can react and recover.?
• Develop and document your plan: Outline the steps you will take to respond to and recover from a disaster. This should include measures to minimize the damage, protect critical assets, and return to normal operations.
• Test and update your plan with tabletops: Regularly test your plan by scheduling tabletops with all levels of your organization (individual contributors, all levels of management including your board) to ensure its effectiveness and update it as necessary.

To wrap it up, disaster recovery planning is a critical component of risk management, and now is the perfect time to start. By being prepared, you'll be better equipped to handle any unexpected challenges and minimize the impact of a disaster.

If you want to hear more about this, check out our conversation.