Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan

This chapter introduces the concept of business continuity and disaster recovery and its importance in an organization. It provides various checklists that the information systems auditor may use while conducting an audit to review the effectiveness of business continuity and disaster recovery plans. The business continuity and disaster recovery process comprises distinct activities that are to be undertaken by the implementing organization. The business continuity and disaster recovery process usually comprises four components: business impact analysis, incident response plan, disaster recovery plan, and business continuity plan. Disaster recovery process enhances the ability of an entity to swiftly and readily respond to interruptions in services. These efforts are driven by a formal plan of restoration of critical business functions. Business continuity planning should encompass various strategies including prevention strategy, response strategy, resumption strategy, recovery strategy, and restoration strategy. The real test of the business continuity plan is during recovery from a disaster. The closest thing to a real recovery is a simulated disaster.