NCJ Number
94347
Journal
Data Processing and Communications Security Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: (March/April 1984) Pages: 11-15
Date Published
1984
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The author outlines a qualitative approach to developing a disaster/recovery plan that is less time consuming than a detailed quantitative analysis and will obtain a high level of commitment from management, data processing staff, and users.
Abstract
Planning is an effort to control what is controllable, and the approach taken must depend on the degree of certainty of knowledge about the future. In justifying a disaster/recovery plan to management, the question no longer is whether protecton measures are necessary, but what level of protection is cost-feasible. The latter is not easy to answer, largely because of difficulties in identifying the desired level of protection. Four questions must be addressed in disaster/recovery planning: (1) where are we now; (2) where will we be in 1, 2, and 5 years if we do nothing different; (3) do we like the answers in step 2; and (4) if not, what are the options? The disaster/recovery planning process must first identify specific assets to be protected, categorized by capital, human, and information types. The next step is identifying hazards, threats, and vulnerabilities to be guarded against. At this point, a risk evaluation must be performed, risk being the product of the probability of occurrence of an unfavorable event during a given time period, multiplied by the severity of impact if the event occurs. This could require thousands of calculations, but alternatively users and data processing managers can be asked to estimate the direct impact and residual effects of a facet of the organization operating at less than current capacity for extended periods of time. Charts are included.