|
Disaster Recovery
Checklist
Disaster Recovery
checklist is a way to ensure you have all those bases covered. Use
it as a starting point but remember that your organization is
different to all others so you will need to personalize it somewhat.
Also, in this case I am just looking at the preparatory
stage.
Disaster Recovery
checklist - starters
You need to get a lot
of preparatory actions in place to facilitate the ability for a
quick response later on. These actions will
include:
- Perform
backups
- This includes
electronic and paper files as well as vital publications. This may
dovetail with your organization’s document retention plan, so the
two tasks could be combined here. Don’t duplicate what you don’t
need.
- Move backups
offsite
- An offsite
depository needs to be created and maintained as part of the DRP;
at specified intervals, the old backup materials need to be
replaced.
- Update the DRP as
needed
- The DRP must reflect
changes in procedures, personnel, and the organization. This
should be done annually, quarterly, or monthly depending on how
frequently change happens.
- Document the backups
for existing systems
- Determine who makes
the backups for existing systems; who holds them to offsite
delivery; who is responsible for retrieval following a disaster;
and who keeps track of the media and the naming
conventions.
- Document the backups
for new systems
- Do the same for the
systems and processes that were created since the last regular
update, especially any documentation for operation, data sources
and vendors and information easily lost if not recorded at the
time of inception.
- Maintain contact
lists
- Every top-level
manager should know: where their directors are and how to reach
them quickly; and how to reach everyone in the department if
they’re not in the office.
- Maintain phone
contact systems
- Until an alternate
worksite is operational or until the original workplace is back in
order, virtually all communications will be by phone, especially
for managers. Any changes to phone conferencing systems, login
procedures, beeper and pager numbers, or PDA addresses need to be
captured and put into the DRP at update
time.
Explore the Disaster Recovery
Toolkit
Contains 18 ready to use templates for successful
Disaster Recovery Planning / IT Service Continuity
Management
| 
