Recovery Strategy: Systematic Business and IT Recovery

A recovery strategy selects the technical and organisational options for restoring prioritised processes after disruption. It uses BIA findings and recovery objectives to compare options, resources and dependencies. The resulting decision record explains the chosen approach and its assumptions; operational runbooks then describe the steps needed to execute it.

RTO is the target time for resuming a process or system. RPO describes the tolerable data loss in time. An RTO of four hours and an RPO of one hour are possible planning objectives, not guaranteed properties of an architecture. Tests need to include data checks and application acceptance when assessing whether those objectives can be met.

Compare backup restoration, prepared standby environments and ready-to-run alternatives against your recovery objectives. Include data consistency, networks, identities, staffing and supplier dependencies. Cost depends on capacity, licensing, data transfer, operations and exercises. A scoped pilot provides evidence for the choice; generic monthly prices or fixed recovery times are not reliable without those assumptions.

ISO 22301 provides the business continuity management context for selecting, implementing and evaluating continuity arrangements. Translate the applicable requirements into your documented recovery decisions and exercises. A runbook or an isolated RTO does not demonstrate conformity on its own. The assessment needs to consider the agreed scope, dependencies, resources and evidence from implementation.

For covered German entities, section 30 BSIG includes continuity, backup, recovery and crisis management. Reporting duties are addressed separately in section 32. Connect responsibilities, recovery procedures and test evidence. Design the arrangements around the applicable scope, risks and any more specific sector requirements.

Set a risk-based exercise programme and revisit it after significant changes or incidents. Scope and frequency depend on the services, dependencies and applicable requirements. Record the scenario, observed recovery time, data loss and unresolved actions. Exercises can range from a walkthrough to a controlled recovery; completing a calendar does not by itself demonstrate recoverability.

We help evaluate BIA findings, compare recovery options and plan a tested recovery process. Deliverables include a decision record, responsibilities, runbooks and an exercise action register. Scope is agreed for your processes and systems. Neither a particular recovery result nor a regulatory assessment is guaranteed by commissioning a strategy document.