simple disaster recovery plan for IT

[meeks]

anyone have a sample they can send me? I've a client that wants me to write one for the software (that I wrote) they are using on their server. Feeling a bit pidgeon-holed on this - I know NOTHING about their corporate structure. the only thing I can write is "yea, I also have a copy on my local if you guys lose everything on your end"....

so I need something that I can put together that isn't overly pretty - just a terse recovery plan.

[Andy_S]

Switch off, switch on and hope for the best...if/when that fails, break down in a snivelling mess and bemoan your lot.

At least, this is my approach

[jwalker]

what exactly do they ask of you to provide in the event of a disaster? a copy of their software? or are they asking for infrastructure too?

[Michael]

To understand disaster recovery, you've got to think about your entire investment in the business compared to what you would stand to lose if it were shut down for x amount of days, and how much of your business depends on the data in the computers. If the business were only shut down for 2 days, but you had massive data loss, could you continue operating?

Phase 1: the computers
1. Data backup, which includes software and hardware. Backup software to copy the files and backup hardware onto which they are copied.
2. Server backup, which means a way to restore your server from a fresh install with all the necessary configuration settings, such as server name, directory of clients, and other configuration information and server-based storage.
3. Peripheral equipment backup. Routers, print servers, and other network devices may have taken a lot of expertise and time to configure properly. How long would it take to get new equipment up and running so people could get back to work in a new location with all new computers and network devices?
4. Off-site storage of data.
5. Rotation plan for off-site storage: how often do the backup tapes, disks, or other media get transported back and forth. To answer this question, you ask yourself, "How many days, weeks, or months of data could I afford to lose?" For a business with more than ten people, I think daily rotation of backup media makes sense. This is a kind of insurance.
6. Testing is fundamental. Every disaster recovery plan will be business specific and must be tested in entirety. Is your off-site storage accessible on weekends? Do all the necessary IT people have phone numbers they'll need? How many people in IT have authorization to get media out of the off-site storage? Could I really install a fresh copy of the operating system and then restore its schema and it be up and running with a new network card?

Phase 2: the working space
1. If your building burns down, is flooded, quarantined, or otherwise inaccessible, could you get up and running with all new equipment soon enough to prevent a devastating loss? A very common scenario is people who buy fire-proof safes for their backup tapes and keep them in the same room with the servers. Take a look at the specs on those safes, they're usually not too impressive. Even if the safe does its job, the Fire Marshall is going to condemn the building and you won't be able to go in and get your tapes.
2. All important data must be backed up. if workers have local storage on their PC's, it must be backed up so it can be restored at a new location with new computers within a short period of time. You may not be able to test a total catastrophe, but you can test replacing several servers and workstations.

Phase 3: your data on other people's computers
1. Things like web servers operated by another company hold your data. What is their backup plan and service level agreement?

Very few businesses will do all of this, but Phase 1 is the most important.