Disaster Recovery for Small Businesses: What’s Your Bounce-Back Plan?

Losing data is bad — but not knowing what to do next is worse. That’s where disaster recovery comes in. A strong backup keeps your files safe. A strong recovery plan gets you back in business.

What Is a Disaster Recovery Plan?

It’s your step-by-step playbook for how your business responds when something goes wrong — whether it’s:

• A cyberattack

• Hardware failure

• Natural disaster

• Human error

It’s not just about data — it’s about keeping your operations, communication, and customer trust intact.

Key Elements of a Solid Plan

1. Contact Tree

   Who gets notified and in what order? Include IT help, insurance, legal, and client communications.

2. Critical Systems List

   Identify what absolutely needs to be recovered first: email, payroll, CRM, website, etc.

3. Backup Access Instructions

   Where are your backups? How do you access them? Make sure the process is written down and secure.

4. Recovery Timeline Goals

   How fast do you need to be back online? (This is called your RTO – Recovery Time Objective.)

5. Roles & Responsibilities

   Who does what during recovery? Assign specific people to specific tasks.

Don’t Forget to Test It

A dusty plan in a drawer doesn’t help. Schedule a mock disaster drill at least once a year. Test your team, your backups, and your recovery time.

Our Final Thought:

Hope is not a strategy. Even a basic disaster recovery plan can make the difference between a rough day and a lost business. If you’re not sure where to start, start simple — and start today.

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