What Should a Disaster Recovery Plan Include
Understanding Backup vs. Disaster Recovery
Data backup and disaster recovery are related but not identical. Backup focuses on saving copies of your data, while disaster recovery focuses on restoring that data and bringing your systems back online. To do this effectively, two key metrics must be defined:
- Recovery Time Objective (RTO): How long it takes to restore your systems after a failure.
- Recovery Point Objective (RPO): How much data you can afford to lose between the last backup and the time of the incident.
For example, if your last backup occurred at 6:00 a.m. and your system fails at 1:00 p.m., your RPO would be seven hours of lost data. Knowing these two metrics helps set clear expectations for downtime and recovery efforts.
Why Planning Ahead Matters
Understanding the cost of downtime is essential. Business owners should calculate the labor, revenue, and reputation losses that come from being offline for a full day. This helps illustrate the value of a strong recovery plan.
A well-designed disaster recovery plan includes routine data backups, off-site or cloud storage, tested restoration processes, and defined communication procedures. It ensures that if an event occurs, your business continues to operate with minimal disruption.
Planning ahead allows you to face potential disasters with confidence and ensures that your company can continue delivering the goods and services your clients rely on.