Implement the response plan
Most organisations will (or should) have a disaster recovery plan covering, among other things, IT systems failures. See Developing and implementing a response plan.
If IT systems are managed within the organisation, the Chief Technical Officer will usually have responsibility for reviewing and implementing the disaster recovery plan. If IT services are outsourced, the plan will generally be the responsibility of the IT service provider, although you should monitor compliance with the plan.
The disaster recovery plan will set out procedures aimed at providing business continuity in the event of an IT systems failure. It may include:
- emergency contact details
- information about an offsite IT hub or server that is to be used
- details of the core services that are to be provided by the replacement systems
- key requirements/steps for getting the replacement systems up and running
- target response times for getting the replacement systems up and running
- requirements concerning back-up archives
