Business Continuity
Disaster Recovery Planning: RTO, RPO and When DRaaS Makes Sense
Disaster recovery is an insurance policy whose value depends entirely on whether it works. How to tier systems, choose DR options and test them properly.
Key takeaways
- ISO 22301 is the international standard for business continuity management systems.
- The business impact analysis drives every downstream decision.
- Exercise plans regularly; untested plans fail.
- SAMA-regulated entities must also meet the SAMA Business Continuity Management framework.
What ISO 22301 requires
ISO 22301:2019 specifies requirements for a business continuity management system (BCMS): understanding context and interested parties, leadership and policy, planning, support, operation (BIA, risk assessment, strategies, plans and exercising), performance evaluation and improvement.
The core lifecycle
- Scope — which products, services, sites and processes are included.
- Business impact analysis (BIA) — identify prioritised activities, impacts over time, maximum tolerable period of disruption, recovery time and recovery point objectives, and dependencies.
- Risk assessment — threats to prioritised activities and their resources.
- Strategies — how people, premises, technology, information and suppliers will be recovered.
- Plans — incident management, business continuity and IT disaster recovery plans.
- Exercising — tabletop, walkthrough, simulation and full tests.
- Review and improvement — internal audit, management review and corrective action.
Typical implementation timeline
| Phase | Duration |
|---|---|
| Gap assessment and scope | 3–4 weeks |
| BIA and risk assessment | 6–8 weeks |
| Strategies and plans | 6–10 weeks |
| Exercising and training | 4–6 weeks |
| Internal audit and certification audit | 6–8 weeks |
SAMA BCM and ISO 22301 together
SAMA's Business Continuity Management framework applies to regulated financial institutions and sets expectations for governance, BIA, strategies, testing and reporting. ISO 22301 aligns closely, so one integrated BCMS can satisfy both, with additional SAMA-specific reporting.
Common mistakes
- BIA done by IT alone without business owners
- Recovery objectives that the technology cannot meet
- Plans that depend on the same people or sites that are affected
- Exercises that are scripted to succeed
- Supplier dependencies ignored
How NAZZTEC helps
We deliver BIAs, continuity strategies, plans, exercises and internal audits, and prepare organizations for ISO 22301 certification and SAMA BCM reviews.
Exercising maturity
| Exercise | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Walkthrough | Familiarise teams with the plan |
| Tabletop | Test decisions in a realistic scenario |
| Simulation | Practise coordination under time pressure |
| Technical recovery test | Prove systems can be restored within RTO |
| Full exercise | Test end-to-end recovery including alternate sites |
Increase realism over time and include suppliers for critical dependencies.
Next step: our Business Continuity Management team delivers BIA, plans, exercises and certification readiness.
Frequently asked questions
How long does ISO 22301 certification take?
Typically six to nine months from start to certification audit, depending on scope and maturity.
What is the difference between BCP and DR?
Business continuity covers the whole organization's ability to keep operating; disaster recovery focuses on restoring IT systems and data.
How often should plans be tested?
At least annually for each critical plan, with more frequent tabletop exercises.
NAZZTEC Editorial TeamWritten and reviewed by NAZZTEC practitioners. This briefing is general guidance, not legal advice.
