Chapter 3 - Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
In addition to the incident response process, organizations must also have well-defined disaster recovery and business continuity plans to ensure the timely restoration of critical systems and data in the event of a major incident or disruption. These plans should be closely integrated with the incident response plan and should be regularly tested to validate their effectiveness.
Disaster Recovery Planning
Develop a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that outlines the processes, procedures, and resources required to restore critical systems and data in the event of a major incident or disaster.
Identify the critical systems, applications, and data that must be prioritized for recovery based on their impact on the organization's operations and objectives.
Establish recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs) for each critical system and application, based on the organization's risk tolerance and business requirements.
Implement backup and replication strategies to ensure that critical data can be quickly and easily restored in the event of a loss or corruption.
Identify and document the roles and responsibilities of key personnel involved in the disaster recovery process, including IT staff, business unit leaders, and external service providers.
Regularly test and update the disaster recovery plan to ensure that it remains effective and aligned with the organization's changing environment and requirements.
Business Continuity Planning
Develop a comprehensive business continuity plan that outlines the processes, procedures, and resources required to maintain critical business functions in the event of a major incident or disruption.
Identify the critical business processes, dependencies, and resources that must be maintained to ensure the organization's survival and success.
Conduct a business impact analysis to assess the potential impact of various disruption scenarios on the organization's operations, reputation, and financial performance.
Implement strategies to mitigate the impact of disruptions, such as alternate work locations, remote access capabilities, and manual workarounds.
Establish clear communication protocols and decision-making authorities to ensure that key stakeholders are kept informed and engaged throughout the business continuity process.
Regularly test and update the business continuity plan to ensure that it remains effective and aligned with the organization's changing environment and requirements.
To meet SOC 2 requirement, organizations should maintain and provide the following:
Current business continuity and disaster recovery plans:
Documented plans that outline the processes, procedures, and resources required to restore critical systems and maintain critical business functions in the event of a major incident or disruption.
Plans should be reviewed and updated at least annually to ensure they remain current and effective.
Results of disaster recovery or business continuity plan testing within the review period:
Documentation of regular testing activities, such as tabletop exercises, simulations, or live drills, to validate the effectiveness of the disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
Testing results should include identified gaps, issues, or areas for improvement, as well as actions taken to address them.
Testing should be conducted at least annually, and more frequently for critical systems or high-risk scenarios.
