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A2 level Information Communication Technology - Unit 4

Disaster Recovery

What are we going to do if the worst happens?

Information and data is the lifeblood of an organisation. Without it they die. If you don't have the figures how do you know how much is owed to you and how much you owe, and who owes it?

The threats.

Users must recognise the threats to their systems, information and data.

• Fire
• Flood
• Theft
• Earthquake
• Malicious damage
• Hacking
• Terrorism
• War
• Communication breakdown
• Power failure
• Hardware failure
• Software faults

Risk analysis.

If the above is a list of the threats then the analysis of the risks of them happening must be evaluated. In the UK an earthquake is not a high risk, while flooding and fire are high risks. The cost of the threat becoming a reality, the cost of recovering from it and the potential for it to happen are measured.

Disaster recovery plan.

Provides for the method to be used following a disaster for the organisation to recover. Large organisations now have special offices furnished with all the equipment necessary and data backups should they loose their existing offices. They have recruited staff that are paid a retainer, who will be able to take the jobs should the existing staff become unavailable as a result of a threat.

Other organisations have plans that are within their budget to enable continuation following a threat happening.

Contingency plan.

• Identify what could go wrong.
• Identify what should be done if it does.

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