But, planning for the worst with a disaster recovery plan in place can help you have a quick turnaround in the unfortunate case of a successful cyberattack. If you don’t know where to start, there are a few things you can do to begin building your ideal disaster recovery plan. Here’s how to build a disaster recovery plan.
1. List Your Priorities
The most important thing when creating a disaster recovery plan is to list the most essential tasks and resources that need to be recovered immediately following an attack. This way, in the event of a successful cyberattack, you will know exactly what to do first in order to recover.Without having a list in place, you may spend precious time floundering and panicking—all while losing money in your downtime.
2. Identify Risks
Turning a blind eye to risks only increases the chances that you will be caught unaware by a cyberattack. With breaches costing up to 4 million dollars for a company, preventative measures provide a safety net for businesses to lean into and protect what matters most.When you know your risks, you know how to prepare. Just as a war hero might scout out his opposing army, it takes scouting, researching, and keeping your eyes wide open to the risks to be able to protect your SMB.
3. Test it
Making sure your plan is foolproof requires testing and retesting your plan. By running simulations you can ensure that the steps outlined in your plan will be effective and up to date. Testing also allows you to identify any weak points or vulnerabilities in your security so they can be fixed before an attack occurs. Some popular forms of data breach testing are penetration testing, red teaming, and phishing simulations.4. Make it Realistic
No plan is perfect—but your disaster recovery plan needs to be realistic. For example, if you are a smaller business that only employs 8 people, having 15 steps in the plan may not be feasible. This could lead to confusion and a lack of follow-through in executing the plan. Know your team and plan together as to how you can mitigate the most risk.5. Audit Your Resources
Building an ideal disaster recovery plan requires the identification of resources you will need to enact the plan. These resources may include personnel, technological tools, and backup systems that can be put in place to ensure a quick recovery process. Knowing what these resources are ahead of time is essential for efficient disaster response.There are plenty of things you can do to mitigate your risks in the case of a cyberattack, but building a disaster recovery plan is essential to a speedy recovery. All cyberattacks can’t be prevented, but with some forethought—your business can be quickly moved from the danger zone to safety.