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This article appears as part of a seven-part series on Disaster Recovery planning, regardless of institution size and systems in production. Each article will consist of an activity designed to encourage readers to update their own initial DR plan, or even create a new one.
With a list of critical systems, a matrix of priorities, and a measure of preparedness, it’s now time to create goals around the plan. Focus on what can be done in the short term to develop and/or improve a response to how restoring each system will help ensure business continuity. Once that is completed, make notes on how the plan might be improved from year to year.
There are scores of CIOs that we’ve worked with over the years, and without over generalizing, each can be placed into one of two camps: Those that say, “I have a plan,” and those that will tell you, “I don’t have one (or it’s not good enough).” The difference between those that know they have a solid plan and those that think their plan isn’t good enough is at the core of understanding the purpose of a disaster recovery plan.
A good plan is one that is living and continues to evolve over time. The reality is that a disaster recovery plan is never done. Instead, it should serve as a tracking of improvements year over year. Its purpose is to identify a misalignment of resources and resource starvation.
At a very high level, concentrate on the plan in terms of the matrix that was generated. From there, you should be able to place priorities on critical systems that lack the resources to restore service quickly and effectively, and then set budgeting goals for the upcoming year to address those systems first.
Unlike our previous posts on disaster recovery planning, there’s no real “assignment,” but we are available to meet and help review this idea. Please feel free to schedule a phone call with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas in more depth.
