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Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Policy

Policy Status: Draft

This policy is currently draft.

Purpose

To ensure Acme Corp can continue operations and minimize disruptions during and after unforeseen events or disasters, protecting critical business functions, IT systems, and data while maintaining service delivery to students and educational partners.

Scope

This policy applies to all critical business functions, IT systems, data, and personnel across Acme Corp. It covers both business continuity planning and disaster recovery procedures for all operational scenarios including natural disasters, cyber incidents, system failures, and other emergencies.

Policy Statement

Business Continuity Planning (BCP)

Acme Corp maintains a comprehensive business continuity plan that:

  • Identifies and prioritizes essential business functions and critical systems
  • Defines Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) for each critical system
  • Establishes alternate operations procedures and workarounds
  • Documents communication protocols for stakeholders during disruptions
  • Maintains current contact lists for key personnel, vendors, and emergency services

Disaster Recovery (DR)

Disaster recovery procedures include:

  • Recovery Time Objectives (RTO): Critical systems must be restored within 4 hours, essential systems within 24 hours, and standard systems within 72 hours
  • Recovery Point Objectives (RPO): Maximum acceptable data loss is 1 hour for critical systems, 24 hours for essential systems
  • System Prioritization: Critical systems (student portal, authentication, database) take priority over non-essential systems
  • Recovery Procedures: Documented step-by-step procedures for restoring each critical system
  • Alternative Infrastructure: Maintained cloud-based backup infrastructure for failover

Data Redundancy and Backup

  • Geographic Redundancy: Critical data stored redundantly across at least two geographically separate secure locations
  • Backup Frequency: Daily incremental backups and weekly full backups for all critical systems
  • Cloud Storage: Primary backup location in secure cloud environment with encryption at rest and in transit
  • Offsite Storage: Secondary backup maintained in separate cloud region or secure offsite facility
  • Backup Verification: Monthly restoration tests to verify backup integrity and recoverability

Regular Testing and Exercises

  • Annual Full-Scale Test: Comprehensive DR exercise testing complete system recovery annually
  • Quarterly Tabletop Exercises: Scenario-based discussions of BCP/DR procedures with key stakeholders
  • Monthly Backup Tests: Verification of backup restoration capabilities for randomly selected systems
  • Post-Test Reviews: Documentation of lessons learned and updates to plans based on test results
  • Simulation Scenarios: Various disaster scenarios including cyber attacks, natural disasters, and infrastructure failures

Employee Training and Awareness

  • Onboarding Training: All new employees receive BCP/DR overview during orientation
  • Annual Refresher: Yearly training updates for all staff on continuity procedures
  • Role-Specific Training: Detailed training for personnel with specific BCP/DR responsibilities
  • Communication Protocols: Training on emergency communication channels and procedures
  • Documentation Access: Ensure all employees know how to access BCP/DR documentation during emergencies

Incident Classification

Incidents are classified into three levels:

  • Level 1 (Critical): Complete system failure, major data breach, or event affecting core business operations
  • Level 2 (Major): Significant disruption to business functions but core operations remain functional
  • Level 3 (Minor): Limited impact, isolated system issues with available workarounds

Roles and Responsibilities

Role Responsibility
Chief Technology Officer Overall accountability for BCP/DR program, approve plans and resource allocation
IT Team Lead Develop, maintain, and test BCP/DR plans, coordinate recovery efforts
IT Operations Team Execute recovery procedures, maintain backup systems, conduct regular tests
Department Heads Identify critical business functions, participate in continuity planning for their areas
All Employees Familiarize themselves with continuity protocols, participate in training and exercises
HR Department Maintain employee contact information, coordinate personnel aspects of continuity
Communications Team Manage internal and external communications during incidents
Compliance Team Ensure BCP/DR plans meet regulatory requirements

Procedures

Business Continuity Plan Development

  1. Business Impact Analysis (BIA): Conduct annually to identify critical functions and assess impact of disruptions
  2. Risk Assessment: Identify potential threats and vulnerabilities to business operations
  3. Strategy Development: Define strategies for maintaining operations during various disruption scenarios
  4. Plan Documentation: Create detailed, actionable continuity plans for each critical function
  5. Resource Allocation: Identify and allocate necessary resources (personnel, technology, facilities)
  6. Communication Planning: Establish communication protocols and contact trees
  7. Plan Review: Review and update plans quarterly or after significant organizational changes

Disaster Recovery Implementation

  1. Incident Detection: Monitor systems continuously to detect potential disasters or failures
  2. Incident Classification: Assess severity and classify incident (Level 1, 2, or 3)
  3. Activation Decision: CTO or designated authority decides to activate DR plan
  4. Team Notification: Alert DR team members using emergency communication channels
  5. Assessment: Evaluate extent of damage and determine recovery approach
  6. Recovery Execution: Follow documented procedures to restore systems in priority order
  7. Status Updates: Provide regular updates to stakeholders on recovery progress
  8. Validation: Verify restored systems are functioning correctly before returning to production
  9. Post-Incident Review: Conduct thorough review and update plans based on lessons learned

Backup and Restore Procedures

  1. Automated Backups: Configure automated backup schedules for all systems
  2. Backup Monitoring: Daily verification that backups completed successfully
  3. Offsite Transfer: Ensure backups are transferred to offsite/cloud storage within 2 hours
  4. Encryption: Encrypt all backups using AES-256 or equivalent
  5. Retention: Maintain backups according to retention schedule (daily for 30 days, weekly for 90 days, monthly for 1 year)
  6. Test Restoration: Perform monthly test restores of random backup sets
  7. Documentation: Log all backup and restore activities

Emergency Communication

  1. Notification Triggers: Define clear triggers for activating emergency communications
  2. Contact Lists: Maintain updated contact information for all stakeholders
  3. Communication Channels: Use multiple channels (email, phone, SMS, Slack)
  4. Message Templates: Prepare templates for common incident types
  5. Stakeholder Updates: Provide updates at defined intervals based on incident severity
  6. All-Clear Notification: Send formal notification when normal operations resume

Exceptions

Exceptions to this policy must be: - Documented in writing with detailed business justification - Approved by both CTO and Chief Operating Officer - Time-limited with specific expiration dates - Reviewed quarterly for continued necessity - Include compensating controls to mitigate additional risk

Compliance and Enforcement

  • Plan Reviews: BCP/DR plans reviewed quarterly by IT leadership and updated as needed
  • Audit Trail: All tests, exercises, and actual incidents documented in incident management system
  • Compliance Monitoring: Annual audit of BCP/DR compliance with SOC2 and HIPAA requirements
  • Reporting: Quarterly reports to executive leadership on BCP/DR program status
  • Violations: Failure to maintain or test plans may result in:
  • Corrective action plans for responsible team members
  • Additional training requirements
  • Performance reviews
  • Continuous Improvement: Incorporate lessons learned from tests and actual incidents into plan updates

References

  • NIST SP 800-34: Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems
  • ISO 22301: Business Continuity Management Systems
  • HIPAA Security Rule - 164.308(a)(7): Contingency Plan
  • SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria: Availability
  • FEMA Continuity Planning Guide

Revision History

Version Date Author Changes
1.0 2025-11-08 IT Team Initial version migrated from Notion

Document Control - Classification: Internal/Confidential - Distribution: All employees, executive leadership, IT team - Storage: GitHub repository - policy-repository