Although Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery are sometimes used interchangeably, they are two distinct and different processes. Disaster Recovery (DR) is the immediate recovery of IT systems in the event of a disaster or other unforeseen event. Business Continuity (BC) on the other hand, is a plan to ensure that your business can still function following an unexpected event. In other words, it's a framework for preventing disruption of business operations due to adverse environmental events.
Unlike general data backup and recovery, a disaster recovery plan focuses on how to protect your business continuity in the event of a disaster. An effective disaster recovery plan involves triplicate copies of your stored data - the 3-2-1 rule.
A disaster recovery plan is implemented before a disaster hits. A good disaster recovery plan is a significant sub-component of your business continuity plan. It is a roadmap that defines the steps to resume IT operations and recover IT infrastructure, including the network, servers, desktops, databases, applications, and other IT components.
A business continuity plan is executed during an emergency situation. Business continuity planning refers to the concept of preparing for possible interruptions in business functions due to events such as natural disasters or other unforeseen events. It can also be described as "the process of developing a comprehensive plan to minimize impact on the ability of an organization to conduct business at some level following a disruptive event."
To ensure business continuity, a Disaster Recovery Runbook is extremely helpful. A DR Runbook outlines roles, responsibilities, and all the technology that will need to be touched for recovery. The Runbook is created during the DR planning process but is then utilized during a DR event - and of course, also during the testing your plan.
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity go hand in hand. Though they each have their nuances, a business should focus on both. To learn more about your recovery options and improving your business continuity plan, contact Net3 and we will be happy to help.
