Definitions

Business Continuity (BC)

Business continuity is the capability of an organization to continue delivering products and services at acceptable predefined levels following a disruptive incident. BC encompasses all aspects of the organization including people, processes, technology, facilities, and suppliers.

Disaster Recovery (DR)

Disaster recovery is the process of restoring IT systems, data, and infrastructure after a disruptive event. DR is primarily focused on technology recovery - getting systems back online and data restored.

Simple Distinction

Business continuity asks: "How do we keep the business running?" Disaster recovery asks: "How do we restore IT systems?" DR is a subset of BC - an important component, but not the whole picture.

Key Differences

Aspect Business Continuity Disaster Recovery
Scope Entire organization IT systems and data
Focus Maintaining business operations Restoring technology
Primary Concern Critical business activities Critical IT systems
Key Analysis Business Impact Analysis (BIA) IT dependency mapping
Plans Address People, processes, facilities, suppliers, IT Systems, applications, data, infrastructure
Objective Keep delivering products/services Restore IT capability
Owner Business/Operations leadership IT leadership
Standard ISO 22301 Part of ISO 27001 (A.5.30)

Scope Comparison

Business Continuity Covers

  • People: Staff availability, skills, alternative personnel
  • Processes: Manual workarounds, alternative procedures
  • Premises: Alternate sites, work from home, co-location
  • Technology: IT systems, communications, equipment
  • Suppliers: Critical vendors, alternative suppliers
  • Information: Critical data, records, documentation

Disaster Recovery Covers

  • Systems: Servers, applications, databases
  • Data: Backup, replication, restoration
  • Infrastructure: Networks, storage, cloud services
  • Communications: Telephony, email, collaboration tools
  • End-user computing: Desktops, laptops, mobile devices

How They Relate

DR is a component of BC, not a replacement for it:

DR Supports BC

  • BC identifies critical business activities
  • BIA determines RTOs and RPOs for activities
  • IT maps systems to critical activities
  • DR ensures systems meet business RTOs/RPOs
  • BC plans reference DR capabilities

BC Extends Beyond DR

Consider a scenario where IT systems are fully recovered but:

  • Key staff are unavailable
  • The office is inaccessible
  • A critical supplier cannot deliver
  • Manual processes haven't been documented

The business cannot operate. DR alone is insufficient.

What to Implement

Every Organization Needs

  • Data backup: Regular backups with tested restoration
  • Basic DR: Plan for IT system recovery
  • Incident response: Process for handling disruptions

Most Organizations Need

  • Business Impact Analysis: Understand what's critical
  • Basic BC planning: Plans for continuing critical activities
  • Communication plans: How to communicate during incidents
  • Supplier considerations: Backup suppliers for critical services

Organizations Requiring Formal BC/DR

  • Regulated industries (financial services, healthcare)
  • Critical infrastructure providers
  • Organizations with contractual BC requirements
  • Organizations seeking ISO 22301 certification
  • Organizations with low tolerance for downtime

Implementation Approach

Phase BC Activities DR Activities
Analysis Business Impact Analysis IT dependency mapping
Strategy BC strategies for all resources DR architecture design
Planning Business continuity plans DR runbooks and procedures
Implementation Alternate arrangements, training DR infrastructure, replication
Testing BC exercises (tabletop, simulation) DR tests (failover, restoration)

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Equating DR with BC

Organizations that focus only on IT recovery leave significant gaps. When premises are unavailable or key staff are incapacitated, having IT running doesn't mean the business can operate.

Mistake 2: Siloed Planning

BC plans developed by business units without IT input, or DR plans developed by IT without understanding business priorities, create misalignment and gaps.

Mistake 3: Untested Plans

Both BC and DR require testing. DR tests should validate RTO/RPO achievement. BC exercises should test end-to-end recovery including people and processes.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Dependencies

BC plans that don't account for IT dependencies, or DR plans that don't understand business priorities, fail when activated.

Mistake 5: One-time Effort

BC and DR require ongoing maintenance. Plans become outdated quickly as the organization, technology, and threat landscape change.

Think of disaster recovery as a critical component of business continuity, not a substitute for it. Organizations need both - DR to restore technology, and BC to keep the business running while technology is restored and beyond.

ISO 22301 Business Continuity Disaster Recovery