Lotus Notes Recovery Manager

Response times, procedures and standard company-wide practices around natural and human created disasters are addressed and clearly defined and explained in effective recovery plans. The strength of a disaster recovery plan can influence a company’s long-term health should a significant business interruption occur. Following are key areas to include in a recovery plan that is suitable for small, medium and large size companies.

Stress Confidentiality of Disaster Recovery Plan

Write a brief confidentiality statement noting that the disaster recovery plan is intended for company employees only and is not to be distributed outside the company. To ensure that the plan is only distributed to necessary persons, create and insert a distribution list with the name of each person who will receive the plan, the name of the person’s department, the version of the plan the person is to receive and the date that the person was sent the plan. Update the distribution list as changes to personnel occur.

Gain Management Statement and Approval for the Plan

Include a statement of approval for the recovery plan from senior management. Craft a senior management statement that clearly states that the company’s senior management team is committed to supporting the company’s disaster recovery and restoration process and plan. More so, include clearly defined objectives for the plan with the management statement and approval. Focus on recovery time objectives, recovery point objectives and critical business initiative dates. For example, if the company is a shipping firm and June through August are peak months, include clear workarounds and alternative business steps the company will use to meet shipping needs during this critical period. Make sure that senior managers sign the statement and insert the statement at the start of the plan.