Where Should I Store My DR/BCP Plan?

by Ongoing Operations

by. Don Stewart

We get a lot of discussion and feedback about the choices for creating, storing, distributing, and accessing your Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity (BC) Programs.

The most important lesson we can share here is the fact that access at time of event is what matters. Just to make that confusing however is the fact that different stages of your program are needed at different times and the same tool may not work for all stages. Yet the question still begs to be answered – Where Should I Store My DR/BCP Plan?

Our purpose is to share ideas and best practices that will encourage anyone reading this to identify the key components of your program and aligning those with multiple methods of access that ensure availability during a disaster event.

The methodology – FFIEC regulatory handbooks, NFPA1600, BS25999, and other accepted standards.

The tool set – for CURecover users we first identify the following key chronological stages of threat or event response. These need to be identified before you can determine best distribution methodology:

  • Response stage – the time when we are responding to an event or threat of an event and activating our program.
  • Disaster mode – where we start to land in alternate work locations or situations, are functioning with limited technology, and gradually get connected to full functions (wherever we are.)
  • Preparing for the return to normal – Rushing the return to normal can cause a secondary disaster event.
  • Transition back primary location and normal operations – Plan it moving day just as you would any facility move.

Key components of the above stages have unique access needs. Response tools should be available immediately so first responders can evaluate the situation and make decisions quickly. This requires a suite of tools and multiple options because you can never predict what will/will not be working. The components of your DR/BCP that support functioning in disaster mode can be mostly cloud based.

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