It is normal for business or activities of an organization to be interrupted by events which is some cases may be unforeseen. In anticipation of this, most of organizations usually put in place measures to minimize losses in case such event occurs. Coming up with measures that outline steps to be followed in an event of a disaster are called disaster recovery planning (DRP).
It requires involvement of all members of the organization at all levels from top to bottom. In addition to this, it is also necessary that all aspects of organization are put into consideration. This include internal processes, procedures, systems, machines and all other resources and external players like suppliers, government and other regulatory authorities. The aim is to come up with a fully tested and functional plan in a formal document.
Other benefits of the outcome of this process include the general sense of security, minimal delay risks, the reliability of standby systems is guaranteed, reduced decision making during disasters and provision of a standard of testing. In addition to this, firms with comprehensive and functional disaster recovery plans (DRP) enjoy discounts on insurance premiums.
The process of disaster recovery planning starts from the top level management. Both the board of directors and the chief executive officers must approve and be committed to the plan. A planning committee is then established with representatives drawn from all functional areas in the organization. The key figures in this committee are the data processing manager and the operations manager.
A typical DRP involves several stages. It starts from understanding of the interconnections of all organization resources and activities followed by assessment of its vulnerability areas. After getting the insight on how organization can get affected in case of a disaster, a short term plan is developed. This will assist in developing a longer term recovery plan, prioritizing all areas of vulnerability. The planning is continuously tested and updated to respond to changing needs of the business.
Once level of exposure and impact from the worst possible scenario has been established, the prioritization process then follows. More critical aspect of the organization, areas of higher exposure and those that carries huge financial losses are given priorities when coming up with the strategy. A well written DRP however put into account all functional parts of the organization, regardless of their exposure level or finance losses that may result.
The strategies are then documented in a formal plan with specific steps that can be followed in the unlikely event. It also specifies the backup systems to be put in place and how to regularly maintain them to ensure they are always functional and responsive. The plan is then put to a thorough test involving checklist tests, simulation tests, parallel test and a full interruption test before final approval and implementation.
A disaster recovery planning goes beyond off-site storage or even backup processing. Well documented and very comprehensive DRP should able to address all critical aspects must be developed. This, just like liability insurance will provide some level of comfort and reduce the level of financial loss. Other than this, the probability of occurrence of adversity is also minimized.
It requires involvement of all members of the organization at all levels from top to bottom. In addition to this, it is also necessary that all aspects of organization are put into consideration. This include internal processes, procedures, systems, machines and all other resources and external players like suppliers, government and other regulatory authorities. The aim is to come up with a fully tested and functional plan in a formal document.
Other benefits of the outcome of this process include the general sense of security, minimal delay risks, the reliability of standby systems is guaranteed, reduced decision making during disasters and provision of a standard of testing. In addition to this, firms with comprehensive and functional disaster recovery plans (DRP) enjoy discounts on insurance premiums.
The process of disaster recovery planning starts from the top level management. Both the board of directors and the chief executive officers must approve and be committed to the plan. A planning committee is then established with representatives drawn from all functional areas in the organization. The key figures in this committee are the data processing manager and the operations manager.
A typical DRP involves several stages. It starts from understanding of the interconnections of all organization resources and activities followed by assessment of its vulnerability areas. After getting the insight on how organization can get affected in case of a disaster, a short term plan is developed. This will assist in developing a longer term recovery plan, prioritizing all areas of vulnerability. The planning is continuously tested and updated to respond to changing needs of the business.
Once level of exposure and impact from the worst possible scenario has been established, the prioritization process then follows. More critical aspect of the organization, areas of higher exposure and those that carries huge financial losses are given priorities when coming up with the strategy. A well written DRP however put into account all functional parts of the organization, regardless of their exposure level or finance losses that may result.
The strategies are then documented in a formal plan with specific steps that can be followed in the unlikely event. It also specifies the backup systems to be put in place and how to regularly maintain them to ensure they are always functional and responsive. The plan is then put to a thorough test involving checklist tests, simulation tests, parallel test and a full interruption test before final approval and implementation.
A disaster recovery planning goes beyond off-site storage or even backup processing. Well documented and very comprehensive DRP should able to address all critical aspects must be developed. This, just like liability insurance will provide some level of comfort and reduce the level of financial loss. Other than this, the probability of occurrence of adversity is also minimized.
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