IT Disaster Recovery Plan Template
IT Disaster Recovery Plan Template
Information Technology
Disaster Recovery Plan
Template
December 2021
(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
Revision History
Revision Number Revision Date Summary of Changes Made Changed By
Instructions
The (Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan is designated For Official
Use Only (FOUO) and is the property of (Name of Organization). Only (Name of Organization)
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
representatives may distribute this document to individuals on a need-to-know basis. Distribution by other
individuals without prior authorization is prohibited. This document is unclassified but contains sensitive
information.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction and Purpose.........................................................................................................................6
II. Scope.......................................................................................................................................................6
III. Assumptions............................................................................................................................................6
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
VI. Recovery................................................................................................................................................10
Sequence of Recovery Activities...........................................................................................................10
Recovery Procedures.............................................................................................................................11
Recovery Escalation Notices/Awareness..............................................................................................11
VII............................................................................................................................... Reconstitution
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Concurrent Processing...........................................................................................................................11
Validation Data Testing.........................................................................................................................12
Validation Functionality Testing...........................................................................................................12
Recovery Declaration............................................................................................................................12
Notifications (Users).............................................................................................................................12
Cleanup..................................................................................................................................................13
Offsite Data Storage..............................................................................................................................13
Data Backup..........................................................................................................................................13
Event Documentation............................................................................................................................13
Deactivation...........................................................................................................................................14
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
Information systems are vital to Organization mission/business processes. It is critical that services
provided by [System/System Name] can operate effectively without excessive interruption. This
Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan (ITDRP) document establishes a comprehensive
procedure to recover [System/System Name] quickly and effectively following a service disruption.
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
o Activation and Notification phase to activate the plan and determine the extent of
damage.
o Recovery phase to restore [System/System Name] operations; and
o Reconstitution phase to ensure that [System/System Name] is validated through testing
and that normal operations are resumed.
Identify the activities, resources, and procedures to carry out [System/System Name] processing
requirements during prolonged interruptions to normal operations.
Assign responsibilities to designated Organizational personnel and provide guidance for
recovering [System/System Name] during prolonged periods of interruption to normal operations.
Ensure coordination with other personnel responsible for Organization contingency planning
strategies. Ensure coordination with external points of contact and vendors associated with
[System/System Name] and execution of this plan.
II. Scope
This ITDRP has been developed for [System/System Name], which is classified as a “high/medium/low”
impact system, in accordance with Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 199 – Standards for
Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems. Procedures in this ITDRP are
for “high/medium/low” impact systems and designed to recover [System/System Name] within Recovery
Time Objective (RTO) expectations of XX hours. This plan does not address replacement or purchase of
new equipment, short-term disruptions lasting less than RTO expectations, or loss of data at the onsite
facility or at the user-desktop levels.
III. Assumptions
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
The [System/System Name] ITDRP does not apply to the following situations:
Overall recovery and continuity of mission/business operations. A Business Continuity Plan
(BCP) and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) (as applicable) address continuity of business
operations, not necessarily individual systems.
Emergency evacuation of personnel. An Occupant Emergency Plan (OEP) (as applicable)
addresses employee evacuation.
Any additional constraints and associated plans should be added to this list.
The Concept of Operations section provides details about [System/System Name], an overview of the
three phases of the ITDRP (Activation and Notification, Recovery, and Reconstitution), and a description
of roles and responsibilities of Organization personnel during a Disaster Recovery activation.
System Description
NOTE: Information for this section should be available from the system’s System Security Plan (SSP) (if
applicable) and can be copied from the SSP or reference the applicable section in the SSP and attach the
latest version of the SSP to this contingency plan. Provide a general description of system architecture
and functionality.
Indicate the operating environment, physical location, general location of users, and partnerships with
external organizations/systems. Include information regarding any other technical considerations that
are important for recovery purposes, such as backup procedures.
Activation and Notification Phase – Activation of the ITDRP occurs after a disruption or outage that
may reasonably extend beyond the RTO established for a system. The outage event may result in severe
damage to the facility that houses the system, severe damage or loss of equipment, or other damage that
typically results in long-term loss.
Once the ITDRP is activated, system owners and users are notified of a possible long-term outage, and a
thorough outage assessment is performed for the system. Information from the outage assessment is
presented to system owners and may be used to modify recovery procedures specific to the cause of the
outage.
Recovery Phase – The Recovery phase details the activities and procedures for recovery of the affected
system. Activities and procedures are written at a level that an appropriately skilled technician can
recover the system without intimate system knowledge. This phase includes notification and awareness
escalation procedures for communication of recovery status to system owners and users.
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
Reconstitution – The Reconstitution phase defines the actions taken to test and validate system capability
and functionality at the original or new permanent location. This phase consists of two major activities:
validating successful reconstitution and deactivation of the plan.
During validation, the system is tested and validated as operational prior to returning operation to its
normal state. Validation procedures may include functionality or regression testing, concurrent
processing, and/or data validation. The system is declared recovered and operational by system owners
upon successful completion of validation testing.
Deactivation includes activities to notify users of system operational status. This phase also addresses
recovery effort documentation, activity log finalization, incorporation of lessons learned into plan
updates, and readying resources for any future events.
The Activation and Notification Phase defines initial actions taken once a [System/System Name]
disruption has been detected or appears to be imminent. This phase includes activities to notify recovery
personnel, conduct an outage assessment, and activate the ITDRP. At the completion of the Activation
and Notification Phase, [System/System Name] ITDRP staff will be prepared to perform recovery
measures.
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
Role/Person
Role/Person
Role/Person
Establish one or more roles that may activate the plan based on activation criteria. Authorized persons
may include the system or business owner, or the operations point of contact (POC) for system support.
Notification
The first step upon activation of the [System/System Name] ITDRP is notification of appropriate business
and system support personnel. Contact information for appropriate POCs is included in [Contact List
Document Name].
For [System/System Name], the following method and procedure for notifications are used:
Describe established notification procedures. Notification procedures should include who makes the
initial notifications, the sequence in which personnel are notified (e.g., system owner, technical POC,
ITDRP Coordinator, business unit or user unit POC, and recovery team POC), and the method of
notification (e.g., email blast, call tree, automated notification system, etc.).
Outage Assessment
Following notification, a thorough outage assessment is necessary to determine the extent of the
disruption, any damage, and expected recovery time. This outage assessment is conducted by [name of
recovery team]. Assessment results are provided to the ITDRP Coordinator to assist in the coordination of
the recovery of [System/System Name].
Outline detailed procedures to include how to determine the cause of the outage; identification of
potential for additional disruption or damage; assessment of affected physical area(s); and
determination of the physical infrastructure status, IS equipment functionality, and inventory.
Procedures should include notation of items that will need to be replaced and estimated time to restore
service to normal operations.
VI. Recovery
The Recovery Phase provides formal recovery operations that begin after the ITDRP has been activated,
outage assessments have been completed (if possible), personnel have been notified, and appropriate
teams have been mobilized. Recovery Phase activities focus on implementing recovery strategies to
restore system capabilities, repair damage, and resume operational capabilities at the original or an
alternate location. At the completion of the Recovery Phase, [System/System Name] will be functional
and capable of performing the functions identified in the System Description section of this plan.
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
Recovery Procedures
The following procedures are provided for recovery of [System/System Name] at the original or
established alternate location. Recovery procedures are outlined per team and should be executed in the
sequence presented to maintain an efficient recovery effort.
Provide general procedures for the recovery of the system from backup media. Specific keystroke-level
procedures may be provided in another section. If specific procedures are provided in another section, a
reference to that section should be included in this section. Teams or persons responsible for each
procedure should be identified.
VII. Reconstitution
Reconstitution is the process by which recovery activities are completed and normal system operations
are resumed. If the original facility is unrecoverable, the activities in this phase can also be applied to
preparing a new permanent location to support system processing requirements. A determination must be
made on whether the system has undergone significant change and will require reassessment and
reauthorization. The phase consists of two major activities: validating successful reconstitution, and
deactivation of the plan.
Concurrent Processing
“high/medium/low”-impact systems are not required to have concurrent processing as part of the
validation effort. If concurrent processing does occur for the system prior to making it operational,
procedures should be inserted here. Procedures should include length of time for concurrent processing,
processing information on both concurrent systems, and validating information on the new permanent
system.
For “high/medium/low”-impact systems without concurrent processing, this section may either be
removed, or the following may be used:
In concurrent processing, a system operates at two separate locations concurrently until there is a level of
assurance that the recovered system is operating correctly. [System/System Name] does/does not have
concurrent processing as part of validation. Once the system has been tested and validated, it will be
placed into normal operations.
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
Provide procedures for testing or validation of recovered data to ensure that data is correct and up to
date. This section may be combined with the Functionality Testing section if procedures test both the
functionality and data validity. Teams or persons responsible for each procedure should be identified. An
example of a validation data test for a “high/medium/low”-impact system would be to log into the system
database and check the audit logs to determine that all transactions and updates are current. Detailed
data test procedures may be provided in System Validation Test Plan.
Recovery Declaration
Upon successfully completing testing and validation, the ITDRP Director will formally declare recovery
efforts complete, and that [System/System Name] is in normal operations. [System/System Name]
business and technical POCs will be notified of the declaration by the ITDRP Coordinator.
Notifications (Users)
Upon return to normal system operations, [System/System Name] users will be notified by ITDRP
Director using predetermined notification procedures (e.g., email, broadcast message, phone calls, etc.).
Cleanup
Cleanup is the process of cleaning up or dismantling any temporary recovery locations, restocking
supplies used, returning manuals or other documentation to their original locations, and readying the
system for a possible future contingency event.
Provide any specific cleanup procedures for the system, including preferred locations for manuals and
documents and returning backup or installation media to its original location.
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
Data Backup
As soon as reasonable following recovery, the system should be fully backed up and a new copy of the
current operational system stored for future recovery efforts. This full backup is then kept with other
system backups. The procedures for conducting a full system backup are:
Provide appropriate procedures for ensuring that a full system backup is conducted within a
reasonable time frame, ideally at the next scheduled backup period. This backup should go offsite with
the other media in Offsite Data Storage section.
Event Documentation
It is important that all recovery events be well-documented, including actions taken and problems
encountered during the recovery and reconstitution effort, and lessons learned for inclusion and update to
this ITDRP. It is the responsibility of each ITDRP team or person to document their actions during the
recovery and reconstitution effort, and to provide that documentation to the ITDRP Coordinator.
Provide details about the types of information each ITDRP team member is required to provide or
collect for updating the ITDRP with lessons learned. Types of documentation that should be generated
and collected after a contingency activation include:
Activity logs (including recovery steps performed and by whom, the time the steps were initiated
and completed, and any problems or concerns encountered while executing activities)
Functionality and data testing results
Lessons learned documentation
After Action Report.
Event documentation procedures should detail responsibilities for development, collection, approval, and
maintenance.
Deactivation
Once all activities have been completed and documentation has been updated, the ITDRP Director will
formally deactivate the ITDRP recovery and reconstitution effort. Notification of this declaration will be
provided to all business and technical POCs.
Provide contact information for each person with a role or responsibility for activation or
implementation of the ITDRP, or coordination with the ITDRP. For each person listed, at least one
office and one non-office contact number is recommended. Note: Information may contain personally
identifiable information and should be protected.
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
Contact information for all key maintenance or support vendors should be included here. Contact
information, such as emergency phone numbers, contact names, contract numbers, and contractual
response and onsite times should be included.
ITDRP Vendor Contacts
Vendor Name Contact Information
Vendor Name Work XXX.XXX.XXXX
Description/Purpose Mobile XXX.XXX.XXXX
Primary Contact Name, Title Email [email protected]
Provide detailed recovery procedures for the system, which may include items such as:
Keystroke-level recovery steps
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
This section should identify any alternate manual or technical processing procedures available that allow
the business unit to continue some processing of information that would normally be done by the affected
system. Examples of alternate processes include manual forms processing, input into workstations to
store data until it can be uploaded and processed or queuing of data input.
This section includes system acceptance procedures that are performed after the system has been
recovered and prior to putting the system into full operation and returned to users. The system validation
test plan may include the regression or functionality testing conducted prior to implementation of a
system upgrade or change.
Once [System/System Name] has been recovered, the following steps will be performed to validate
system data and functionality:
This section provides information for alternate storage, alternate processing site, and alternate
telecommunications for the system. Alternate storage, site, and telecommunications information are
strongly encouraged for “high/medium/low”-impact systems. Information that should be provided for
each area includes:
Alternate Storage:
City and state of alternate storage facility, and distance from primary facility
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
Whether the alternate storage facility is owned by the organization or is a third-party storage
provider
Name and points of contact for the alternate storage facility
Delivery schedule and procedures for packaging media to go to alternate storage facility
Procedures for retrieving media from the alternate storage facility
Names and contact information for those persons authorized to retrieve media
Alternate storage configuration features that facilitate recovery operations (such as keyed or card
reader access by authorized retrieval personnel)
Any potential accessibility problems to the alternate storage site in the event of a widespread
disruption or disaster
Mitigation steps to access alternate storage site in the event of a widespread disruption or disaster
Types of data located at alternate storage site, including databases, application software,
operating systems, and other critical information system software
Other information as appropriate
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
NOTE: Information for this section should be available from the system’s System Security Plan (SSP) (if
applicable) and can be copied from the SSP or reference the applicable section in the SSP and attach the
latest version of the SSP to this contingency plan. Include any system architecture, input/output, or other
technical or logical diagrams that may be useful in recovering the system. Diagrams may also identify
information about interconnection with other systems.
Provide or reference the hardware and software inventory for the system. Inventory information should
include type of server or hardware on which the system runs, processors and memory requirements,
storage requirements, and any other pertinent details. The software inventory should identify the
operating system (including service pack or version levels, and any other applications necessary to
operate the system, such as database software).
NOTE: Information for this section should be available from the system’s System Security Plan (SSP) (if
applicable) and can be copied from the SSP, or reference the applicable section in the SSP and attach the
latest version of the SSP to this contingency plan. This section includes information on other systems that
directly interconnect or exchange information with the system. Interconnection information should
include the type of connection, information transferred, and contact person for that system.
If the system does not have any direct interconnections, then this section may be removed, or the
following statement may be used:
[System/System Name] does not directly interconnect with any other systems.
All ITDRPs should be reviewed and tested at the Organization-defined frequency (e.g., annually) or
whenever there is a significant change to the system. Provide information and a schedule for the testing
of the system. The full functional test should include all ITDRP points of contact and be facilitated by an
outside or impartial observer. A formal test plan is developed prior to the functional test, and test
procedures are developed to include key sections of the ITDRP, including the following:
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(Name of Organization) Information Technology Disaster Recovery Plan
Notification procedures
System recovery on an alternate platform from backup media
Internal and external connectivity
Reconstitution procedures
Results of the test are documented in an After-Action Report, and Lessons Learned are developed for
updating information in the ITDRP.
NOTE: Full functional tests of systems normally are failover tests to the alternate locations, and may be
very disruptive to system operations if not planned well. Other systems located in the same physical
location may be affected by or included in the full functional test. It is highly recommended that several
functional tests be conducted and evaluated prior to conducting a full functional (failover) test.
Examples of functional tests that may be performed prior to a full functional test include:
Full notification and response of key personnel to recovery location
Recovery of a server or database from backup media
Setup and processing from a server at an alternate location
Process Responsible
Due Scheduled Performed Status
Step Party
MM/DD/
MM/DD/YYY MM/DD/YYY
YYY
NOTE: Information for this section should be available from the system’s System Security Plan (SSP) (if
applicable) and can be copied from the SSP, or reference the applicable section in the SSP and attach the
latest version of the SSP to this contingency plan. ITDRPs for other systems that either interconnect or
support the system should be identified in this appendix. The most current version of the ITDRP, location
of ITDRP, and primary point of contact (such as the ITDRP Coordinator) should be noted.
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