Short for disaster recovery plan, a plan for business continuity in the event of a disaster that destroys part or all of a business's resources, including IT equipment, data records and the physical space of an organization. The goal of a DRP is to resume normal computing capabilities in as little time as possible. A typical DRP has several stages:
understanding an organization's activities and how all of its resources are interconnected
assessing an organization's vulnerability in all areas, including operating procedures, physical space and equipment, data integrity and contingency planning
understanding how all levels of the organization would be affected in the event of a disaster
developing a short-term recovery plan
developing a long-term recovery plan, including how to return to normal business operations and prioritizing the order of functions that are resumed
testing and consistently maintaining and updating the plan as the business changes.
A key to a successful DRP is taking steps to preventing the likelihood of disasters from occurring, such as using a hot site or cold site to back up data archives.
DRP: A Project Plan Outline This page from the University of Toronto details what is involved in creating a disaster recovery plan for a business.
The Disaster Recovery Guide A launch pad for those seeking help with the business continuity planning process. It offers information, guidance, tips, and links to a range of resources.
