Before Trouble Strikes: Part 2

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In Part 1, we began a checklist to help key individuals in your organization prepare a recovery plan in case of earthquake, significant power outage, or other disaster. The objective is to restore all critical business functions, rather than just such disparate functions as the data center.

Part 1 focused on gathering information in advance, including organizing the project and conducting business impact analysis and risk assessment, developing a strategic outline for recovery, reviewing back-up procedures, and selecting an alternate facility. Part 2 concludes the list with a look at developing and testing your strategy.

Plan Development and Testing

Develop Recovery Plan
This document defines the resources, actions, tasks and data required to manage the recovery in the event of an interruption. The plan is designed to assist in restoring the business process within the stated recovery goals. The disaster recovery coordinator should perform these steps assisted by the disaster planning committee as needed.

Objective — This may have been documented in the Information Gathering phase. Establish information for each business unit
Plan Assumptions
Criteria for invoking the plan:

Document emergency response procedures to occur during and after an emergency is declared for that business unit, and after the emergency check the building before allowing individuals to enter.
Document procedures for assessment and declaring a state of emergency.
Document notification procedures for alerting unit all senior management executives, disaster recovery team members, and business unit executives.
Document notification procedures for alerting business unit’s personnel of alternate location.

Role Responsibilities and Authority

Identify disaster recovery team and business unit personnel.
Recovery team description and charge
Recovery team staffing
Transportation schedules for media and teams

Procedures for operating in contingency mode

Process descriptions
Minimum processing requirements
Determine categories for vital records
Identify location of vital records
Identify forms requirements
Document critical forms
Establish equipment descriptions
Document equipment — in the recovery site and in the business unit
Software descriptions
Software used in recovery and in production
Produce logical drawings of communication and data networks in the business unit
Produce logical drawings of communication and data networks during recovery
Vendor list
Review vendor restrictions
Miscellaneous inventory
Communications needs — production and in the recovery site

Resource plan for operating in contingency mode

Criteria for returning to normal operating mode

Procedures for returning to normal operating mode

Testing and Training

Document testing data
Complete disaster/disruption scenarios
Develop action plans for each scenario

Plan Maintenance

Document maintenance review schedule (yearly, quarterly, etc.)
Maintenance review action plans
Maintenance review recovery teams
Maintenance review team activities
Maintenance review/revise tasks
Maintenance review/revise documentation

Appendices for inclusion

Inventory and report forms
Maintenance forms
Hardware lists and serial numbers
Software lists and license numbers
Contact list for vendors
Contact list for all staff with telephone numbers for home, work numbers, cell phone, and pager
Network schematic diagrams
Equipment room floor grid diagrams
Contract and maintenance agreements
Special operating instructions for sensitive equipment
Cellular telephone inventory and agreement

Test the Plan
Testing the plan enables the disaster recovery planning team to see how their recovery plan and procedures work in practice. It enables everyone to get a reasonable assurance that a plan will make the grade when it really counts — in an actual disaster.

Develop test strategy.
Develop test plans.
Conduct tests.
Modify the plan as necessary.

On-going Maintenance

Maintain the Plan

Disaster recovery plans can have a shelf life between six and 12 months depending on the changes in the organization’s procedures, systems, and personnel. Having a program in place to maintain the plan will ensure that everyone, especially the disaster recovery planning team, will be ready if a real emergency occurs.

The senior management executive responsible for disaster recovery assisted by the disaster recovery coordinator should oversee this step: