Question: Are Disaster Recovery (DR) plans established for IT systems supporting critical business processes?
Why This Matters
DR plans ensure technology can be restored within acceptable timeframes, preventing data loss and extended downtime.
Maturity
No DR plans or recovery objectives defined.
Backups exist but recovery process untested.
DR plans created for key systems with assigned owners.
Plans tested annually with documented outcomes.
Aligned with business BCPs and change management.
Automated recovery validation and continuous readiness metrics.
How to Level Up
| From → To | Actions | |—|—| | 0 → 1 |Inventory critical systems and dependencies.| | 1 → 2 |Document DR plans with RTO/RPO targets.| | 2 → 3 |Conduct restoration tests and record results.| | 3 → 4 |Integrate with BCP and change process.| | 4 → 5 |Automate backup validation and reporting.|
Enablers
- People: IT DR Manager, BCM Coordinator
- Process: Plan → Test → Improve
- Technology: Backup tools, DR runbooks, monitoring
Evidence
- DR plans and test reports
- RTO/RPO matrix
- Change records
KPIs
- Number of systems tested per year
- Average recovery success rate
- Backup verification frequency
Low-Cost / Open-Source Options (MSME)
| Purpose | Tool | Notes | |—|—|—| | Backups | Restic / Veeam Free | Automated verification | | Tracking | Airtable | DR test calendar | | Dashboard | Metabase | Recovery metrics |
Common Pitfalls
- No testing or restore validation
- Outdated contact lists
- Plans not aligned with business priorities
Compliance Mapping
| Standard | Clauses / Notes | |—|—| | ISO 22301 | 8.4 / 8.5 | | ISO 27001 | A.5.30 / A.8.13 | | NIST CSF 2.0 | RS.RP / RS.IM | | NIRMATA Mapping | BC-Q05 strengthens technical resilience via tested DR plans. |