How do you inventory critical services and dependencies?
List the services required to operate: identity, internet connectivity, phones, email, file storage, business applications, websites, databases, and vendor platforms. For each one, record an owner, technical contact, location, credentials process, data source, and downstream dependencies.
- Identity and internet connectivity
- Phones and email
- File storage and business applications
- Websites, databases, and vendor platforms
Map dependencies in the order they must be restored. An application recovery can fail even when its server is healthy if identity, DNS, certificates, storage, or network access are unavailable.
How do you set recovery priorities and targets?
A recovery time objective describes the target time to restore a service. A recovery point objective describes the acceptable amount of data loss measured in time. These should follow business impact, not an arbitrary technology standard.
| Target | What it describes | Set from |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery time objective (RTO) | The target time to restore a service | Business impact |
| Recovery point objective (RPO) | The acceptable amount of data loss, measured in time | Business impact |
Different systems can have different targets. Assigning the shortest target to everything creates a costly plan that may still lack a meaningful sequence.
How do you design backups for actual restore needs?
Match backup frequency and retention to the recovery-point target. Protect backup administration, keep a recovery path separated from ordinary production credentials, and account for configuration, identity, and encryption keys—not only business files.
Document how data is restored into a usable service. A database dump without the application version, configuration, secrets, or infrastructure needed to run it may not meet the recovery objective.
How do you plan communications and authority?
Name who can declare a disaster, approve emergency spending, contact vendors, communicate with employees and customers, and accept a temporary workaround. Keep an accessible copy of essential contacts outside the systems that may be unavailable.
- Who can declare a disaster
- Who can approve emergency spending
- Who contacts vendors
- Who communicates with employees and customers
- Who can accept a temporary workaround
Include alternatives for the loss of a building, power, internet circuit, cloud tenant, administrator, or key supplier. The response will differ by scenario, but the decision structure should remain clear.
How do you test, record gaps, and update the plan?
Run tabletop exercises to validate people and decisions, then perform technical restore tests for critical systems. Measure the result against recovery targets and record missing access, undocumented dependencies, slow transfers, or incompatible backups.
Review the plan after tests and material changes. Nubinity datacenter and professional services can help assess infrastructure dependencies, recovery architecture, connectivity, storage, and operational documentation.