DRP versus BCP
Disaster Recovery Plan The Disaster Recovery Plan or DRP is a test of a system back up procedures and practice. DRP is something that is rehearsed before a disaster happens in order to prepare for an event that might leave a company crippled or without a service. In the event something should happen to a company such as an internet connection going down, the crash of a server, or loss of power it is important to what to do in the event of an emergency. Loss of any one of these system could cause a company loss of revenue. DRP needed to be practiced, rehearsed many times periodically to assure that everyone involved knows what to do. Practice makes perfect, the more practice and rehearsal is done the easier and quicker it will be for someone to implement the steps needed to complete the recovery plan. It’s always best to practice these steps during non-peak hours. Typically DRP testing would be done overnight, on weekends, or holidays. It’s important to test the DRP system and process to ensure that the backup system is functioning properly, and the steps taken to get there are effective. Ideally this would all be automated, but not always possible. Step by step instructions and procedures are what make up the DRP, primarily its intended for key departments the most important being the IT department. These procedures and instructions are what will recover critical business systems in the event of a disaster. Making sure they are relevant, work properly, and works quickly are very important if the company is to stay afloat or it will lose revenue and fall under. The steps to test the DRP are Walk-throughs, Simulations, Checklists, Parallel Testing, and Full System Interruption. * Walk-throughs – This is where the key personnel involved go through the steps of what might have to happen to implement the DRP. It’s checked to make sure every step