Availability Guide for Problem Management

Planning for Disasters
Availability Guide for Problem Management–125509
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Step 3—Testing the Plan and Training the Staff
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Backup site procedures. If your company has a backup site, the planning team
should document the procedures for moving to the alternate site. For more
information about backup sites, see “Backup Sites” later in this section.
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Procedures for using the Remote Duplicate Database Facility (RDF) during a
disaster. The procedures should explain how to start copies of the applications at the
secondary site and how to switch communications lines so that terminals processing
the applications are connected to the secondary database.
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Procedures for reestablishing operations in the primary site or at a new permanent
site. If a disaster forces computer operations to a temporary site, the operations staff
will need procedures that explain when and how operations should return to the
original primary site or to a new primary site. Well-defined procedures will help the
staff move to the primary site without disrupting business activity and without losing
data.
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Any other procedures and information that will help your computer operations staff
recover quickly from a disaster.
Step 3—Testing the Plan and Training the Staff
A plan is not complete until the staff is trained and the plan is tested. Training ensures
that the staff knows how to carry out all required procedures. Training is an ongoing
process. New staff needs training when jobs are started, and the entire staff needs
training when there is a change in a plan or procedures, and to refresh their knowledge.
Testing provides the recovery planning team with an opportunity to carry out and check
its plans before a disaster strikes. Thorough testing ensures that your operations staff
will be as successful as possible when recovering from a disaster. To be successful,
testing should be:
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Realistic. Testing should be spontaneous (not preannounced) and rigorous.
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Regular. To maintain a valid recovery plan, the plan should be tested regularly.
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Reviewed. The planning team should review the results of each test to determine if
any procedures or information should be changed, added, or deleted.
Step 4—Revising the Plan
Regular plan reviews help the planning team ensure that the plan reflects only what is
absolutely essential, and that the plan is revised whenever your company adds new
hardware, changes databases, and changes or adds applications. Of course, when the
plan changes, the planning team should test the changes to ensure that the plan facilitates
efficient and successful recovery efforts.