The Plain English Version

Disaster recovery is your plan for getting IT systems back up and running after a major incident - ransomware, hardware failure, fire, or flood. The goal is minimising downtime and data loss.

Most businesses have backups but have not tested whether they can actually restore from them when it matters.

Two Numbers That Matter

RTO (Recovery Time Objective): How long can you survive without each system?

RPO (Recovery Point Objective): How much data can you afford to lose?

Building an Effective DR Plan

  • Identify critical systems - What must be restored first?
  • Set RTO and RPO - Different systems have different requirements
  • Test your backups - Actually restore from them
  • Document the process - Clear steps anyone can follow
  • Review regularly - Systems change, plans should too

DR vs Business Continuity

Disaster recovery focuses on IT systems. Business continuity is broader - how your entire business operates during disruption.