How to test your disaster recovery plan in an afternoon

You do not need a big project to find out whether your recovery plan works. A focused half-day test, done once or twice a year, teaches more than a long document.

Before you start

• Choose one important system, for example the accounts system or the shared files.
• Tell everyone involved that it is a test, and when.
• Decide what recovered means: for example, a named person can open last Friday's invoice.

The test

1. Note the start time.
2. Restore the system from backup to a spare machine or a test area. Do not touch the live system.
3. Follow your written steps exactly, as someone new would.
4. Note every step that was unclear, missing or slow.
5. Check that the restored data is complete and recent.
6. Note the finish time. That is your real recovery time.

Afterwards

• Write down how long it took and compare it with what the business needs.
• Fix the steps that were wrong or missing.
• Put the next test in the calendar.
• Tell management the result, even if it was uncomfortable.