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Step 1: Create a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) Planning Team
- Choose team members who have decision-making approval and sufficient authority to gather information companywide.
- Define team members' responsibilities.
- Create a clear organizational chart that outlines who is responsible for each aspect of disaster-recovery planning.
Step 2: Evaluate Your Business Processes
- Evaluate and rank (in order of importance) all business processes.
- Define what business processes, technology, systems, and applications must be restored for the business to continue operating.
- Determine the level of disaster protection you want to achieve.
Step 3: Determine Which IT Processes Will Be Incorporated into the DRP
- Evaluate existing backup and recovery processes.
- Integrate existing processes into the DRP.
- Upgrade existing processes as necessary.
Step 4: Implement and Test the DRP
- Document all duties and responsibilities of people who have disasterrecovery roles.
- Roll out any additional hardware or software needed.
- Test the DRP by walking through the disaster-recovery process.
- Based on feedback from the walk-through, modify the DRP to reflect the actual process.
- Get final management approval before distributing the final DRP documents.
- Distribute the final DRP documents to all involved parties.
- Maintain and securely store offsite printed copies of all DRP documentation.
Step 5: Maintain an Ongoing DRP Process
- Schedule regular DRP team meetings so that different departments can interact and provide ongoing input into keeping the DRP relevant and up-to-date.
- Carry out regularly scheduled DRP tests.
- Schedule regular updates to the DRP to accommodate changes to business processes or technology infrastructure.
- Schedule regular evaluations of technology and workflow, and update the DRP accordingly.
- Assign responsibility for all DRP update and maintenance programs to key people, plus designate a central person or persons who'll be responsible for cross-checking any changes.
