What should be included in an IT Disaster Recovery Plan?
One of the most common misconceptions among most businesses is that they don't require a disaster recovery plan for the applications hosted in a private cloud.
In part, many companies believe that an IT-managed service provider builds private clouds with high availability to optimise uptime. However, private clouds are not immune to failure like all IT infrastructure deployments.
According to a 2022 Cloud Security Report, 45% of organisations experienced a cloud data breach between 2021 and 2022, a 35% increase compared to the previous year.
With 82% of IT leaders saying that their organisations have adopted a hybrid or multi-cloud strategy, an IT disaster recovery plan should be part and parcel of the organisational cybersecurity processes and procedures.
In this regard, regardless of whether an organisation hosts a private cloud in their data centre, the service provider offers PaaS or IaaS platforms, or as a completely managed service, there is a high possibility that it could fail.
The tipping point could be a disaster like ransomware attacks, server failure, data breaches, or natural disasters like fires and floods.
Recent research shows that companies run 75% of their enterprise workloads in the private cloud, which reiterates the importance of a disaster recovery plan. The high dependence on cloud infrastructure to run and manage critical business activities means a disaster can potentially paralyse operations for days without a comprehensive disaster recovery plan.
What is a Disaster Recovery Plan?
The ever-present risk of natural disasters, cyberattacks, hardware failures, or human errors necessitates a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. A disaster recovery plan is a documented set of procedures and strategies for recovering critical systems and infrastructure following a disruptive event.
Its primary objective is to minimise downtime, maintain business continuity, and restore services to an acceptable level within predefined recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO).
A well-defined disaster recovery plan includes thorough risk assessments, business impact analysis, and a clearly defined hierarchy of recovery priorities.
Private clouds offer dedicated infrastructure solely for an organisation's use, providing increased control and security. When designing a disaster recovery plan for private or hybrid clouds, business owners should consider the following elements:
Replication: Replication involves creating identical copies of data and applications in real-time or at regular intervals. Organisations can implement synchronous or asynchronous replication based on the criticality of the data. Replicating data to off-site locations ensures its availability during a disaster.
Backup and Restore: Regularly backing up critical data and applications is essential. The backup data should be stored securely to ensure easy accessibility and quick recovery to mitigate the impacts of a disaster. Furthermore, IT teams should thoroughly test the restoration processes to ensure their effectiveness during disasters.
High Availability: Implementing high availability mechanisms, such as redundant hardware, load balancing, and clustering, minimises the impact of infrastructure failures. Also, spreading the workload across multiple servers allows organisations to maintain uninterrupted services.
Virtual Machine (VM) Snapshots: In private clouds, VM snapshots capture the state of a virtual machine at a particular point in time. These snapshots enable the restoration of VMs to a specific state, reducing recovery time.
A well-structured disaster recovery plan is paramount for organisations operating in private and hybrid cloud environments. Additionally, addressing potential risks, implementing data replication and backup mechanisms, leveraging high availability, and conducting regular testing enables organisations to significantly reduce the impact of disasters and maintain uninterrupted services.
Adhering to a comprehensive disaster recovery plan ensures business continuity, safeguards against potential losses, and enhances the overall resilience of cloud-based infrastructure.
But how does a disaster recovery plan work? Cloud-based disaster recovery encompasses storing critical applications and data off-site. It allows companies to recover rapidly by transitioning to an alternate site or virtual host. In contrast to conventional methods, cloud disaster recovery consolidates the complete server, including data, operating systems, applications, and patches, into a virtual server or software bundle. As a result, it enables expedited transfers between data centres.
Service providers are responsible for ensuring consistent updates and patches, automating disaster recovery processes, minimising potential errors, and requiring minimal user engagement. Moreover, cloud disaster recovery models operate under a pay-per-use framework, allowing businesses to pay solely for specific licenses and storage resources.
Types of disasters that may occur
Disasters can significantly impact cloud infrastructure and deployments, including private clouds, hybrid clouds, and various cloud services models like PaaS and IaaS. Understanding the types of disasters that can occur is crucial for effective disaster preparedness and recovery.
Firstly, natural disasters pose a significant risk to cloud infrastructure. Events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods can lead to power outages, network failures, and physical damage to data centres.
Private clouds, where organisations manage their infrastructure, face the direct consequences of such disasters. For example, in 2021, OVHCloud, a leading cloud service provider, suffered a devastating fire in its data centres that led to many companies being unable to access their data. Hence, adequate measures, such as redundant power sources, physical security, and geographical diversification of data centres, facilitate faster recovery from natural disasters.
In addition, cyberattacks represent another major threat. Malicious actors may target cloud environments to disrupt services, compromise data integrity, or steal sensitive information. These attacks can affect both private and hybrid clouds. Hybrid clouds integrate public and private resources, introducing additional vulnerabilities due to the increased attack surface.
Hackers targeted Accenture with the LockBit ransomware, stole proprietary company data, and compromised the company's customers before demanding a $50 million ransom. While Accenture restored the affected systems, the attack could have caused widespread disruption. A disaster recovery plan must consider when, not if, the business will be a cyberattack victim and include sufficient recovery procedures.
Furthermore, infrastructure failures within the underlying platform can severely affect PaaS deployments. Hardware malfunctions, software glitches, or misconfigurations can lead to application downtime or data loss. Monitoring systems, automated backups, and redundant infrastructure components are essential to minimise the impact of such failures.
Additionally, frequent testing of disaster recovery mechanisms ensures the ability to recover quickly and efficiently. Similarly, infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) models come with unique disaster risks. Virtual machine failures, network outages, or storage system issues can disrupt services and cause data loss.
Thus, employing redundant virtual machines, network redundancy, and distributed storage systems helps mitigate the risks. Regular backups and snapshots of critical data and systems are vital to facilitate rapid recovery in case of an infrastructure failure.
Also, human errors are among the most overlooked threats, yet they contribute to disasters in cloud environments. Configuration mistakes, accidental deletion of critical data, or mismanagement of resources can lead to service disruptions and data loss.
In 2017, an Amazon employee accidentally took several servers offline when debugging a billing system problem, causing a domino effect spread to other server subsystems. Subsequently, thousands of businesses could not access crucial data and applications for several hours. Therefore, strict access controls, robust change management processes, and comprehensive training programs are essential to minimise the potential impact of human errors.
Additionally, supply chain disruptions can affect the availability and reliability of cloud infrastructure components. Issues with hardware procurement, delays in equipment delivery, or quality control problems can impact cloud services. Establishing relationships with reputable suppliers, diversifying the supply chain, and maintaining spare equipment can help mitigate these risks.
Last but not least, power failures can severely impact cloud infrastructure, causing service disruptions and potential data loss. A recent survey showed that 44% of companies had experienced prolonged outages that affected critical operations, with most citing power failures as the primary cause.
In a 2016 incident, AWS suffered a power failure after a utility provider suffered prolonged power loss due to severe weather. Many large companies could not access their workloads resulting in operational disruptions for up to ten hours. Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, backup generators, and redundant power distribution paths are critical to ensure continuous power availability.
Private clouds should consider on-site power generation capabilities, while hybrid and public clouds must rely on data centres with robust power infrastructure.
What should be included in the plan?
Risk Assessment and Business Impact AnalysisA thorough risk assessment is the foundation of any effective DRP. It involves identifying potential threats and vulnerabilities specific to the cloud environment.
Additionally, conducting a business impact analysis helps prioritise critical systems and applications based on their importance to the organisation's operations and objectives.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO)
Establishing recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO) is crucial in defining the desired recovery goals for different systems and data. RTO defines the maximum allowable downtime, while RPO determines the acceptable data loss. These objectives guide the selection of appropriate recovery strategies and technologies.
2. Data Backup and Replication
Implementing robust data backup and replication mechanisms is a fundamental element of a disaster recovery plan. Regular backups ensure the availability and integrity of critical data. Replication, either synchronous or asynchronous, enables the real-time or near-real-time duplication of data to alternate locations, minimising data loss and facilitating faster recovery.
3. Off-Site Storage and Data Archival
Storing backups and archived data off-site, preferably in geographically diverse locations, adds an extra layer of protection against localised disasters. Cloud-based off-site storage provides secure and scalable options for housing backups and archived data, ensuring availability during a disaster.
4. Redundancy and High Availability
Integrating redundancy and high availability measures into the cloud infrastructure minimises downtime and maintains service continuity. This can include redundant servers, load balancing, failover clusters, and redundant network connectivity to distribute workloads and prevent single points of failure.
5. Testing and Validation
Regular testing and validation of the disaster recovery plan are critical to identify potential weaknesses and ensure its effectiveness. Testing and validation procedures should include conducting simulated disaster scenarios, performing backup and recovery drills, and validating data integrity. Also, periodic tests help identify and address gaps in the plan, ensuring that it remains up-to-date and aligned with evolving business requirements.
6. Communication and Stakeholder Engagement
Effective communication channels and stakeholder engagement play a crucial role in disaster recovery. Clearly defining roles and responsibilities, establishing communication protocols, and maintaining an updated contact list of key personnel and service providers ensure efficient coordination during a disaster.
7. Training and Documentation
Providing comprehensive training to relevant personnel ensures they understand their roles and responsibilities within the DRP. Well-documented procedures, guidelines, and recovery workflows should be readily accessible, aiding swift and efficient recovery efforts during stressful situations.
8. Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
Continuous monitoring of the cloud infrastructure, backup systems, and disaster recovery processes is essential. Proactive monitoring helps identify potential risks and performance issues, allowing for timely remediation. Regular reviews and updates of the disaster recovery plan based on lessons learned from testing, incidents, and industry best practices contribute to its continuous improvement.
What are the responsibilities of the MSP?
Cloud Managed Service Providers (MSPs) have significant responsibilities in disaster recovery. They assist in ensuring the resilience and rapid recovery of businesses' cloud environments. MSPs assist businesses in developing comprehensive disaster recovery plans specific to their cloud environments. They collaborate with organisations to assess risks, define recovery objectives, and identify critical systems and data. In addition, MSPs help create strategies and procedures to minimise downtime and data loss during a disaster.
Furthermore, MSPs implement and manage backup and data replication solutions to ensure the availability and integrity of critical data. They establish regular backup schedules, configure backup tools, and verify the successful completion of backups.
MSPs also facilitate data replication to alternate locations to minimise data loss and enable faster recovery. MSPs also work with businesses to define appropriate RPOs and RTOs for different systems and applications. They align recovery strategies and technologies to meet these objectives.
MSPs also conduct regular testing and validation of the disaster recovery plans to ensure their effectiveness. They perform simulated disaster scenarios, recovery drills, and data integrity checks to identify any gaps or weaknesses in the plan. MSPs use the results to refine and improve the disaster recovery plan for optimal recovery outcomes.
MSPs also monitor the cloud infrastructure and disaster recovery systems to ensure proper functioning. They proactively monitor backups, replication processes, and recovery mechanisms to detect potential issues or failures. MSPs promptly address any identified problems to maintain the readiness of the disaster recovery environment.
In the event of a disaster, MSPs take a leading role in coordinating and executing the recovery process. They work closely with the organisation's stakeholders, including IT teams and third-party vendors, to initiate recovery procedures and restore critical systems and data. MSPs ensure effective communication, efficient resource allocation, and adherence to recovery timelines.
More importantly, MSPs continuously evaluate and improve disaster recovery strategies and processes. They analyse lessons learned from previous recovery incidents, test outcomes, and leverage industry best practices to enhance the DRP.
MSPs collaborate with organisations to implement necessary updates, such as infrastructure enhancements or revised procedures, to strengthen disaster recovery capabilities.
Post-Disaster Management
Post-disaster management is an essential component of a disaster recovery plan. It is critical because it determines how well the recovery process works. It also determines how quickly businesses can resume their operations.
During post-disaster management, the cloud MSP ensures that all affected systems and data are fully restored to their pre-disaster state. It may involve testing the systems to ensure that they are functioning correctly. The MSP further validates the restored data and ensures all security protocols are in place. Moreover, the MSP thoroughly reviews the disaster recovery plan to identify improvement areas.
In addition, the MSP communicates with their clients to keep them informed about the recovery process. Clear communication helps clients to make informed decisions about their business continuity plans. In addition, it enables them to adjust their operations to minimise the impact of the disaster.
Furthermore, post-disaster management includes conducting a debriefing session. The session evaluates the effectiveness of the disaster recovery plan. Besides, the MSP also updates the disaster recovery plan based on the lessons learned.
Conclusion
An IT disaster recovery plan is an essential framework for organisations to mitigate the impact of unforeseen disruptions and ensure the continuity of daily operations. A comprehensive plan serves as a roadmap for businesses to navigate through the chaos of a disaster and recover critical systems and data effectively.
A well-designed IT disaster recovery plan should encompass various key elements. These include risk assessment, business impact analysis, backup and data replication strategies, recovery procedures, communication protocols, incident response strategies, testing and maintenance routines, and continuous monitoring and evaluation.
Incorporating these elements into a disaster recovery plan allows organisations to proactively address potential threats and vulnerabilities. Also, they enable business owners to prioritise critical systems and data. More importantly, they assist in establishing recovery objectives that align with business needs. A disaster recovery plan minimises downtime, reduces data loss, and mitigates a disaster's financial and reputational impacts.
Furthermore, an effective IT disaster recovery plan instills confidence among stakeholders, clients, and customers. It demonstrates the organisation's commitment to resilience and ability to respond swiftly and effectively in times of crisis. It also ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards, safeguarding sensitive data and protecting the organisation's reputation.
However, it is important to recognise that an IT disaster recovery plan is not a one-time effort. It requires regular updates, testing, and refinement to adapt to changing business environments, emerging threats, and evolving technologies. Organisations should view their disaster recovery plan as a living document that evolves alongside their business and technological landscape.