ABSTRACT
Everyone understands the importance of developing a business continuity plan (BCP) to ensure the
timely recovery of mission-critical business processes following a damaging event. There are two
objectives, however, and often, the second objective is overlooked return to normal operations as
soon as possible. The reason for the urgency to return to normal operations is that backup and work-
around procedures are certainly not “business as usual.” Backup capabilities, whether due to the loss
of primary premises or primary data, probably only include those business activities that are critical to
getting by. The longer a company must operate in this mode, the more difficult the catch-up will be.
There are several steps that can be taken in advance to prepare for the timely, efficient return to
normalization. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the steps and resources to ensure total recovery.
In addition, it is important to understand how to handle damaged equipment and media in order to
minimize the loss associated with a disaster.
