Distinct but complementary

In developing business continuity, with IT resilience as a key deliverable of that strategy, businesses must focus on creating two essential documents: an IT incident response plan and an IT disaster recovery plan.

The IT incident response plan is crucial for preparing organisations to effectively manage potential information security incidents. These incidents can vary from data breaches and malware attacks to system outages and general computer security issues.

A well-structured incident response process enables organisations to react promptly and efficiently, minimising the impact of such incidents and preventing further harm through effective incident remediation. It goes beyond quick fixes, emphasising strategic and informed actions that safeguard company operations, financial health, and reputation.

Incident Response Plan

Purpose: An incident response plan outlines procedures for detecting, responding to, and mitigating cyber security incidents or operational disruptions promptly so damage is limited and services are quickly restored.

Focus: It focuses on handling incidents such as cyber security breaches, data breaches or system failures as they occur.

Activities: Typically includes steps like incident identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned. On the other hand, an IT disaster recovery plan deals with a wider range of situations. It serves as a framework outlining how your organisation will restore regular operations after a significant disruption. While an incident response plan targets specific incidents, a disaster recovery plan provides an overarching perspective of the organisation's operations. This plan should cover not only IT recovery but also the reinstatement of vital business functions throughout all departments. Its focus lies in maintaining continuity and resilience, shielding against both the immediate impacts and the longer term consequences of a disaster.

IT Disaster Recovery Plan 

Purpose: An IT disaster recovery plan focuses on restoring IT infrastructure and services after a major disruptive event (e.g., natural disaster, cyberattack) with the objective of minimising downtime and data loss.

Focus: It addresses broader, more catastrophic scenarios that may affect entire systems and/or facilities.

Activities: Involves backup and recovery of data processes, the restoration of critical systems, and continuity of operations.

Combining these plans ensures a comprehensive IT resilience strategy for your organisation. Developing them simultaneously equips your management team with a well-defined roadmap during crises, minimising confusion, expediting decision-making, and coordinating actions efficiently.

Although an IT incident response plan and an IT disaster recovery plan are closely related they serve different purposes when it comes to managing IT disruptions.

Relationship between the incident response and IT disaster recovery plans

Complementary Roles: Both plans work together to ensure comprehensive preparedness and response to IT disruptions. An incident response plan deals with immediate incident containment and response, while the disaster recovery plan is applicable to longer-term recovery and restoration efforts.

Sequence: An incident response typically is the first step when an incident occurs. However, if the incident's impact surpasses the capabilities of initial response efforts and requires a structured approach to recover and restore IT systems, infrastructure, and services to minimise downtime and business impact, then the IT disaster recovery plan becomes relevant.

Integration: Whilst they are separate plans, they should be integrated to ensure there is a seamless transition from incident response to IT disaster recovery if required. Integration should ensure that the lessons learned from any incidents are applied to enhance future recovery strategies and resilience.

In summary, an incident response plan deals with the immediate handling of incidents with the objective of minimising their impact, while an IT disaster recovery plan focuses on the restoration of operations after a major disruption with the objective of ensuring business continuity. Both are crucial components of an organisation's overall IT resilience strategy.

Protocol Policy Systems provide organisations with a cost effective way to improve their cybersecurity maturity and resilience. Policy Management as a Service provides key policy content to help ensure the organisation has appropriate resources available for planning, establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining and continually improving a Business Continuity/DR capability that will enable them to prepare for, respond to and recover from disruptive IT incidents when they arise. The Security Incident Policy will help to ensure the correct procedures are followed should systems be affected by a security incident or other event and therefore has a bearing on the organisation's business continuity capability.

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