Running head: DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN 1

Disaster Recovery Plan

Christine King

CIS462

Dr. J. F. Manning

September 7, 2014

Abstract

A disaster recovery plan is an essential part of any organization. The DPR is what is necessary

in the event of a disaster, whether it is natural or manmade. Disaster recovery plans are what

will help an organization get back to business, it outlines who is responsible for what, where will

the operations be run, will there be a off-site location or third party network that will be used

until the main system can be used. In our business world today it is necessary to have a DRP in

place; there are too many incidents that can happen.

Disaster Recovery Plan

Overview

Within this organization it is necessary to have a disaster recovery plan in place should a

disaster, natural or otherwise, occurs. This DPR will outline the roles and responsibilities of the

different departments, including management. With the multiple offices that our organization

has throughout the Eastern United States, it is imperative that this policy is implemented and

amended for each location. Each office will play an important role in this DRP, as these other

offices will need to assist with the organizations business activities during the recovery process.

everyone within the organization plans an important role in the recovery process, and during the

planning process all will be included. Information will be disseminated to all and kept on the

organizations intranet but there will also be hard copies of this DRP in each office.

The DRP needs to be kept up to date, and training of key personnel should be done

regularly, there should also be mock-disasters so that all the people involved in the disaster

recovery plan can be kept current on the pan and any amendments that have been implemented

(Johnson , R., Merkow, M.,2011).

Network Architecture Diagram

Below you will see the current organizations network architecture and the alternate

architecture should a disaster occur. I am using a simple architecture that I obtained from

http://www.neuroncomputers.com/content/uploads/2012/02/common-network.jpg. Of course

this is a simplified diagram of the company network architecture, and this diagram does also

represent the alternate network that would be used in the event of a disaster, there would be a

difference, the users would be accessing the network via remote access, this could limit the

accessibility of information that is stored on the servers, however it will allow for daily processes

to be completed.

DRP Policy

Disaster Declaration

A disaster recovery plan will allow for all branches of management and their employees

to know what their roles are in the event of a disaster. Natural disasters can happen at any

moment and can disrupt organizations business processes. A manmade disaster can also happen

at any time and might not have any physical damage; it might only damage the organizations

network and its components.

However it is important to know when for an organization to declare a disaster. A

disaster should not be declared when a temporary power outage occurs, but should be declared

when the compo nay network will be interrupted for more than 24 ours or when a natural disaster

occurs; like a hurricane, tornado, or earthquake. This declaration will outline what

responsibilities and roll each key team member will have during the recovery process

(www.ready.gov).

Assessment of Security

The security assessment is something that needs to happen as soon as physically possible.

There needs to be an inspection of the facilities and safety of the personnel needs to be put first,

as if the company is not doing everything they can to keep the personnel safe then how well do

you think they will work for the company? Should this be a manmade disaster, an intrusion of

the company network, then a security assessment should be made in order to assess the security

of the network and to see if the attacker has placed any spyware, malware or Trojan viruses on

the system. Is it safe to operate the network or does alternate networks need to be used?

Potential Scenarios

Disaster scenarios need to be played out, both natural and manmade. Training is essential

to the successfulness of the disaster recovery plan and the successfulness of the actual recovery.

The employees need to have regular training sessions and what their roles and responsibilities are

in the event of a disaster. There needs to be mock versions of both the manmade disasters and

natural disasters. Having mock scenarios of a manmade disaster is very important; if the

network has been compromised the organization needs to know what its options are in order to

come up with the best recovery plan for these types of scenarios.

Recovery Procedures

Recovery procedures need to be outlined; this would include what department is in

responsible for each part of the recovery process. Should the disaster be natural and have caused

major damage to the operating facility; an alternate facility will be occupied until necessary

repairs can be made to ensure the safety of the employees.

Incident Response Team Charter

Executive Summary

Our incident response team is called into action when a major disaster occurs. This could

be when a attack on the network has crashed the system and acquired proprietary information

with unauthorized access of the network. The incident response team is responsible for alerting

the proper authorities, business partners and customer of the breach and what the company is

doing to rectify and recover from the situation.

Mission Statement

The mission of this ITR is to ensure a smooth and complete recovery process in the event

of an incident; the IRT will assume the necessary role, which will be determined by the extent of

the disaster. There are three roles that the IRT can assume:

On-site response full authority to contain the breach

Support role provides technical assistance and support in containing the breach

Coordination role works with multiple teams in order to contain the breach

Incident Declaration

Declaring a incident is an important step and should only be declared when there is an

actual incident that is unrecoverable with the current IT support.

Organizational Structure

The organizational structure of the IRT is going to be a collection of specialized

professionals that will have certain responsibilities that may include the following (Johnson , R.,

Merkow, M.,2011):

Information technology subject matter experts

Information security representative

Human resource representative

Legal representative

Public relation representative

Business continuity representative

Data owner

Management

Roles and Responsibilities

Each of the above has a specific role in the IRT and they may differ depending on the

role that the IRT plays in the incident.

Information Flow

Methods and Services Provided by IRT

Authority and Reporting Procedures

The incident response team has the authority to create reports that outline the process of

the incident and the response that

References

Johnson , R., Merkow, M. (2011). Security Policies and Implementation Issues. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett.

http://www.ready.gov/business/implementation/IT

http://www.kontiki.com/uploads/itsolutions_diagrams_004.png