It Disaster Recovery Plan Template printable pdf download

Disaster Recovery Plan Test Template

The testing of a Disaster Recovery Plan will primarily be based on your actual plan.

This plan could be “on the back of an envelope” or as comprehensive as the attached

Disaster Recovery Template.

The plan should be set up in a way that a “relevant” new member of staff should be

able to project manage a full Disaster Recovery Plan.

Depending on your requirements the testing could be based on the IT system only or

could be tested as part of a more comprehensive Business Continuity Plan similar to

the attached.

Without seeing your Recovery Plan it is difficult to map out a testing schedule.

Realistically, the plan should be incorporating some of the following points. However,

if not included in your plan then you might consider these points when reviewing the

results of the test…..which might improve the quality of the revised Disaster Recovery

Plan

1. Why are we testing the Disaster Recovery Plan?

2. What are we expecting from the testing?

3. What is a measure of success – Success may be a full remote recovery…but

could also be non-recovery but identifying the gaps/tripping points in the

system which will improve for the next time

4. Does the plan work

5. Is the plan up to date

6. Who has access to the Plan?

7. Who is to run the Disaster Plan? What happens if key person(s) is missing

8. Who is on the Phone List Matrix (effectively the next of kin list)? Again, is the

plan up to date?

9. A side benefit of testing is training for Project Participants

10. Are all IT Assets comprehensively documented (hardware & software).

11. Identify the mission critical hardware as well as mission critical data/software.

12. Another side benefit will be to raise profile of importance/security/integrity of

data

13. Consider give a copy of Disaster Plan and test results to Auditors/Banks

14. Who has authorised this work – needs approval by CEO/CIO/Managers eg.

need total company buy in.

15. Checking data is the Min. objective. The test should cover far more.

16. Draw up clear Test Plan

17. Draw up clear Objectives

18. Set out Goals, eg. our goal is to set up a new server in a remote location with

mission critical information within 8 hours.

19. Big impact from this goal. Who defines Critical? Does the whole company

agree with this? Is this practical. Also, worth agreeing what is Non critical

information and set a time frame for restoration of this.

20. Probably load Recovered data to a virtual server in our remote Facility.

21. To assume Broadband line will be running is a dangerous assumption!!!

22. Disasters are not more common…but our data is more vulnerable.

It Disaster Recovery Plan Template