[Solved] Assignment #4 Developing Disaster Recovery Backup Procedures and Recovery

Introduction

When disaster strikes a business, executive management expects its IT team has a recovery plan prepped and ready to go. A successful recovery hinges in part on whether IT has properly tested its plan and regularly updated it. Recovery speed is also key.

The purpose of a business continuity and disaster recovery plan is to document all identified mission-critical IT systems, applications, and data recovery procedures. Fast recovery times for IT systems and applications are achievable with efficient and accurate recovery instructions.

In this lab, you will apply the same concepts of disaster recovery backup procedures and recovery instructions to your own data. You will explain how you can lower recovery time objectives (RTOs) with proper backup and recovery procedures, you will define a process for IT system and application recovery procedures, you will identify a backup solution for saving your own data, and you will test and verify your backups for RTO compliance.

Learning Objectives

Upon completing this lab, you will be able to:

Explain how to lower RTO with properly documented backup and recovery steps.

Define a process for IT system and application recovery procedures.

Identify a backup solution for saving an Assignment Assessment Worksheet.

Test and validate your basic backup and recovery procedures for saving a Lab Assessment Worksheet.

Test the backup and recovery procedures for RTO compliance.

Deliverables

Upon completion of this lab, you are required to provide the following deliverables to your instructor:

1. Lab #4 Assessment Worksheet

Hands-on Steps

1. Review the Lab Assessment Worksheet. You will find answers to these questions as you proceed through the lab steps.
2. On your local computer, open a new Internet browser window.
3. Using your favorite search engine, search for information on recovery time objective (RTO).
4. Briefly review at least three of the first page results regarding RTO.
5. In the address box of your Internet browser, type the URL http://www.bluelock.com/blog/rpo-rto-pto-and-raas-disaster-recovery-explained/ and press Enter to open the Web site.
6. Read the article titled RPO, RTO, PTO and RaaS: Disaster recovery explained.
7. In the address box of your Internet browser, type the URL https://searchdisasterrecovery.techtarget.com/tip/Focus-more-on-disaster-recovery-strategy-in-2019 and press Enter to open the Web site.
8. Read the article Focus more on disaster recovery strategy in 2019 regarding disaster recovery strategies.
9. Make a backup of any Assignment Assessment Worksheet(s) you have completed from this Course.
10. Attach the file(s) to an e-mail to your personal e-mail address. Verify receipt of the e-mail message(s), and then open and verify file integrity for each attachment.
11. In your Lab Report file, write the backup procedures and recovery procedures you used.

Note:

Arguably, the most important section of any business continuity plan is the Procedures section. A business can plan disaster recovery scenarios extensively, carefully weighing all possible risk likelihood and impacts. However, without detailed procedures with which to execute the recovery, a business will not resume operations efficiently, if at all. And this is especially true in times of near-panic and extreme executive oversight immediately following a disaster. The key source for documenting accurate and helpful recovery procedures is testing.

13. In your Assignment #4 Assessment Worksheet, describe your personal procedures in terms of your RTO as explained in Web sites visited earlier in this lab. Test your backup and recovery procedures per your RTO. In your Assignment #4 Assessment Worksheet, describe ways you could lower the RTO, and in a 1-page summary describe your personal procedures in terms of your RTO as explained in Web sites visited earlier and how you would handle a situation with your personal systems and data.

Answer and complete the Assignment #3 Assessment Worksheet Pages 4-6 below and Turn-In to D2L!

Assignment #4 Assessment Worksheet- Developing Disaster Recovery Backup Procedures and Recovery Instructions

Overview

In this lab, you applied the same concepts of disaster recovery backup procedures and recovery instructions to your own data. You explained how you can lower recovery time objectives (RTOs) with proper backup and recovery procedures, you defined a process for IT system and application recovery procedures, you identified a backup solution for saving your own data, and any ways that you tested and verified your backups for RTO compliance.

Personal RTO Summary

Lab Assessment Questions & Answers

1. How do documented backup and recovery procedures help achieve RTO?

1. True or false: To achieve an RTO of 0, you need 100 percent redundant, hot-stand-by infrastructure (that is, IT systems, applications, data, and so on).

1. What is most important when considering data backups?

1. What is most important when considering data recovery?

1. What are the risks of using your external e-mail box as a backup and data storage solution?

1. Identify the total amount of time required to recover and install the Lab Assessment Worksheet(s) and to open the file(s) to verify integrity. (Calculate your timed RTO using your computer clock and your documented instructions.)

1. Did you achieve your RTO? What steps and procedures can you implement to help drive RTO even lower?

1. What are some recommendations for lowering the RTO for retrieval and access to the backup data file?

1. If you drive RTO lower, what must you do to streamline the procedure?

10. Why are documenting and testing critical to achieve a defined RTO?

1. Why is it a best practice for an organization to document its backup and recovery steps for disaster recovery?

1. What can you do to cut down on the recovery time for accessing, copying, and recovering your Lab Assessment Worksheets to achieve the RTO?

1. What will encryption of a disk or data in storage do to the RTO definition when attempting to retrieve and recover cleartext data for production use?

1. How many total steps did your backup and recovery procedures consist of for this lab exercise? Are there any that can be combined or streamlined?

1. If the individual accessing the system for disaster recovery purposes were not familiar with the IT system and required system administrator logon credentials, what additional step would be required in the recovery phase?