Plan for the interruption.
Define what must be recoverable, who is responsible and how recovery will be checked.
Start with the right scope.
Define what must be recoverable, who is responsible and how recovery will be checked.
Business-critical data and application mapping
Understand the current environment, key owners and business dependencies before making changes.
Recovery priorities and ownership
Define requirements and priorities in language that supports a clear business decision.
Restore-test planning and documentation
Record responsibilities, review points and the information needed for a useful handover.
Bring your priorities.
Tell us what is changing, which systems are involved and what a useful outcome would look like. The initial conversation establishes fit and the information needed to define an engagement.
Talk about backup & recovery planningA backup plan is only part of a recovery plan.
Define what has to come back
Start by identifying the information and systems that essential business activities depend on. Determine which applications require configuration records, licenses, credentials or vendor assistance in addition to the underlying data. These dependencies influence the order of recovery.
The business should describe acceptable interruption and data-loss expectations in its own terms. Those expectations can then be compared with the capabilities and limitations of the existing backup arrangements.
Map ownership and coverage
Record what is covered, how the backup process is monitored and who investigates exceptions. Cloud applications, local equipment and information stored on individual devices may have different arrangements. Do not assume that a platform’s availability features provide the same outcome as a recoverable copy of business data.
The review should also identify who can authorize a restore and how recovery access is maintained. Sensitive connection details belong in controlled operational records, not in a publicly shared project brief.
Plan meaningful restore exercises
A restore exercise should use an agreed scenario, a safe test environment and clear acceptance criteria. Confirm not just that information can be retrieved, but that the restored material is usable for the intended task. Record dependencies, unexpected steps and the time needed for each stage.
Testing must be authorized and coordinated to avoid disrupting live operations. A project plan should specify the boundaries of the exercise and the people responsible for approving it.
Maintain the recovery record
The runbook should include the recovery sequence, responsible contacts, prerequisites and a way to record test results. Revisit it when systems, vendors or business priorities change. Specific backup technologies and implementation activities depend on the agreed environment and scope.
Let’s get the right
conversation started.
Bring the challenge. We’ll start with the questions that matter.