If a cyberattack, server crash, or power outage hit your business today—how quickly could you bounce back?
For many small businesses, the answer is “not fast enough.” That’s why having a disaster recovery plan is more important than ever in 2025. The good news? It doesn’t need to be complicated. You just need a plan that’s clear, practical, and ready to go when something goes wrong.
Here’s how to build a simple, effective disaster recovery plan that actually works.
Step 1: Identify What Matters Most
Start by asking one key question: If we lost everything right now, what would we need first to keep the business going?
Make a short list of:
Essential systems (email, accounting, POS, client database)
Critical data (client records, billing info, project files)
Key roles and people who need access quickly
This becomes your priority list—the systems and information you need to recover first.
Step 2: Choose Your Backup Strategy
Your disaster recovery plan starts with good backups. Make sure:
Your data is backed up regularly (daily, hourly, or in real-time, depending on your needs)
Backups are stored in at least two places (cloud + local)
Backups are automated and tested regularly to confirm they actually work
And don’t forget: backups should be secure and encrypted, so they’re not vulnerable to ransomware or theft.
Step 3: Set a Recovery Time Goal
Not all systems need to be back online immediately. Decide how quickly each item on your priority list needs to be recovered—this is called your Recovery Time Objective (RTO).
For example:
Email: within 1 hour
Payroll system: within 24 hours
Archived documents: within 3 days
This helps you make smart choices about what tools and services to use.
Step 4: Create a Step-by-Step Recovery Checklist
When disaster strikes, you don’t want to waste time figuring out what to do. Write a simple checklist that includes:
Who to call
Where your backups are stored
How to restore key systems
Who’s responsible for each task
Make sure your team knows where to find this plan—and review it at least once a year.
You don’t need a complicated playbook—just a clear, tested, and realistic plan. In 2025, downtime is expensive. A disaster recovery plan is one of the smartest, simplest ways to protect your business from the unexpected.
