How to Write a Disaster Recovery Plan

The occurrence of a disaster might put you in a predicament, but you have to recuperate. Statistics clearly suggest that several business entities were not able to recover after a catastrophe, as they did not have a proper plan to recover from the disaster.

As you all know, a business plan is essential for the success of a business, but very few know the role of a disaster recovery plan to make a business sustainable.

Restoration is possible only if you have a good recovery plan. The plan should be written with precision, it should be easy to comprehend (so you should try avoiding jargon), and should encompass the points mentioned here:

The first thing that you should do is to analyze your business and isolate the cruxes in the routine functioning of your business. These are the operational points that you should concentrate on during a crises, you can focus on the other functional areas of your company once you successfully restore the key areas.

Once you have identified the key operational areas, your next task is to segregate competent employees who will have a major role in the recovery of the areas that you consider important. These employees should be included in drafting the disaster recovery plan, they might be able to propose efficient disaster recovery measures pertaining to their domain.

You know the employees who are crucial to the process of disaster recovery, ask each one of them to make a list of all the equipment (apart from table, chairs, and telephone) that they will need, so that the company can recuperate without delay.

After you have the list of all the essentials, estimate the cost of each item in the list, and write down the contact details of the suppliers, who can provide you with the items at the earliest, in case of a disaster.

A challenge that you will face during recovery phase, is relocation. Shifting to a new location is never easy, as it is very difficult to find a suitable space. This is the reason why you should specify the alternatives for your office space in the recovery plan. A good real estate agent will help you find appropriate alternatives.

It is necessary to tell your key employees what is expected out of them during a crisis. With respect to the merits and demerits of your employees, you should specify the tasks that they should carry out during recovery (the specification should not be ambiguous), in the recovery plan.

Before you finalize the plan, you should discuss each task, with the employee who is expected to perform it, and make sure that they do not have any inconvenience or complaints, also pay heed to their suggestions and recommendations.

Your business might change depending on the market trends, the functional areas that were crucial for you may become subsidiary, and other areas might gain importance. So, it is necessary to keep your plan updated. You should periodically check the availability of the office space alternatives specified in your recovery plan, and update the plan accordingly.

• You should insure your business.
• You should store the disaster recovery plan off-site.
• You should have enough contingency fund to implement the recovery plan.
• Keep a backup of all the important data.

After a disaster, the recovery phase should start at the earliest. You cannot afford to waste your time mourning the losses. Believe that you have the ability to resurrect your business, and there is no stopping you if you are determined!