What is Disaster Recovery?
Definition
Disaster recovery (DR) encompasses the policies, tools, and procedures for recovering IT infrastructure, systems, and data after a catastrophic event. It defines Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) for critical systems.
In Depth
Disaster recovery focuses specifically on restoring IT systems and data following disruptions such as natural disasters, hardware failures, cyberattacks, or human error. The cornerstone of any DR plan is defining two key metrics for each critical system: the Recovery Time Objective (how quickly the system must be restored) and the Recovery Point Objective (how much data loss is acceptable, measured in time). These metrics drive the technical architecture — a 4-hour RTO might require warm standby infrastructure, while a near-zero RPO necessitates synchronous data replication. Modern DR strategies leverage cloud infrastructure for cost-effective multi-region deployments, automated failover, and infrastructure-as-code for rapid environment reconstruction. SOC 2 evaluates disaster recovery under the Availability criterion, expecting documented plans, defined RTOs/RPOs, and evidence of regular testing. ISO 27001 requires DR capabilities as part of business continuity management. Organizations should conduct at least annual DR tests ranging from backup restoration verification to full failover exercises, documenting results and remediating gaps.
Related Terms
Business Continuity
Business continuity planning (BCP) involves developing strategies and procedures to ensure that essential business functions can continue during and after a disaster or significant disruption. It addresses people, processes, technology, and facilities holistically.
Incident Response
Incident response is a structured approach to detecting, containing, eradicating, and recovering from security incidents. A well-defined incident response plan outlines roles, communication procedures, escalation paths, and post-incident review processes.
Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is the systematic process of identifying, analyzing, and evaluating information security risks to an organization. It involves determining the likelihood and impact of threats exploiting vulnerabilities, then prioritizing risks for treatment through mitigation, transfer, avoidance, or acceptance.
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