Last modified: March 14, 2025

Policy No. 4204 Disaster Recovery Plan Procedure

Download Disaster Recovery Plan Procedure Document

Overview

Since disasters happen so rarely, management often ignores the disaster recovery planning process. It is important to realize that having a contingency plan in the event of a disaster gives PCSD an advantage.

This procedure requires management to financially support and diligently attend to disaster contingency planning efforts. Disasters include, but are not limited to, adverse weather conditions. Any event that could likely cause an extended delay of service should be considered.

Purpose

This procedure defines the requirement for a baseline disaster recovery plan to be developed and implemented by PCSD that will describe the process to recover IT systems, applications, and data from any type of disaster that causes a major outage.

Scope

This procedure is directed to the IT Management Staff, who is accountable for ensuring the plan is developed, tested, and kept up-to-date. This procedure is solely to state the requirement to have a disaster recovery plan; it does not provide requirements around what goes into the plan or sub-plans.

Procedure

Contingency Plans

The following contingency plans must be created:

Computer Emergency Response Plan: Defines who is to be contacted, when, and how. Specifies immediate actions that must be taken in the event of certain occurrences.
Succession Plan: Describes the flow of responsibility when normal staff is unavailable to perform their duties.
Data Study: Details the data stored on the systems, its criticality, and its confidentiality.
Criticality of Service List: Lists all the services provided and their order of importance. It also explains the order of recovery in both short-term and long-term timeframes.
Data Backup and Restoration Plan: Details which data is backed up, the media to which it is saved, where that media is stored, and how often the backup is done. It should also describe how that data could be recovered.
Equipment Replacement Plan: Describes what equipment is required to begin providing services, lists the order in which it is necessary, and notes where to purchase the equipment.
Mass Media Management: Identifies who is in charge of giving information to the mass media.

Critical Systems Instructions

Documentation must include:

Location of installation software
Backup frequency and storage locations
Username and passwords
Support phone numbers
Steps to restart, reconfigure, and recover the system
Power-up and power-down procedures
Equipment age
Model and serial numbers
Warranty and maintenance contract information
Software licensing information and storage location
IP and MAC addresses
Supplier contacts for expertise in system recovery, including vendors and manufacturers
Website username and password
Server username and password
District-assigned computer username and password
Maps, diagrams, and charts
Any username/password for any system where relevant information exists to recover systems (e.g., manufacturer website username and password, call-in information, etc.)

Plan Testing and Review

After creating the plans, it is important to practice them to the extent possible.
Management should set aside time to test implementation of the disaster recovery plan.
Tabletop exercises should be conducted quarterly to identify and correct potential failures in a controlled environment.
The plan will be reviewed and updated at a minimum on an annual basis.

Last Update Status:

Updated January 2015