“We have backups” is not the same statement as “we have a disaster recovery plan.” Backups are the raw material. A plan is the documented, rehearsed process for actually using them when everyone’s under pressure and nobody’s thinking clearly.
Not sure if your business actually has a documented recovery plan, or just backups? Contact us for a free assessment — no pressure, no obligation.
What a Real Disaster Recovery Plan Includes
- A priority order for what gets restored first — email might matter more than an internal file share, or a production system might matter more than either.
- Named responsibilities — who actually initiates recovery, and who they need to notify, spelled out in advance instead of figured out in the moment.
- Documented, step-by-step recovery procedures for each core system, written clearly enough that someone other than the one person who “knows how it works” could follow them.
- A communication plan for staff and clients — what gets said, by whom, and when, so the first hours aren’t spent improvising an announcement.
What Happens Without One
During an actual incident, adrenaline and panic don’t make good improvisers. Without a written plan, the first hours typically get spent figuring out where to even start, who’s supposed to make the call, and whether the person who understands the backup system is even reachable — hours that a documented plan would have skipped entirely.
How Often Should It Be Reviewed
At minimum, once a year — and any time there’s a major system change: a new line-of-business application, a server migration, a new office location. A plan written for the systems you had two years ago isn’t much better than no plan for the systems you have today.
Can You Do This Yourself?
Yes — it’s mostly documentation discipline, not specialized tooling. The real challenge is writing it before the emergency, when it’s tempting to keep putting it off, and then actually keeping it updated as your systems change instead of letting it go stale on a shared drive nobody opens.
The Bottom Line
Documented recovery procedures for every core business tool you depend on are a core part of every LME Services backup and disaster recovery plan. Schedule a free consultation and we’ll tell you honestly whether what you have is a backup, a plan, or both.
Common questions
No — backups are the raw material; a disaster recovery plan is the documented, rehearsed process for actually using them when everyone's under pressure.
A priority order for what gets restored first, named responsibilities for who initiates recovery, and documented step-by-step procedures clear enough for someone other than one specific person to follow.