There is a saying in the IT world: "A backup is only a backup if you have successfully restored from it." But true business continuity goes deeper than just having a zip file of your database.
Imagine your hosting provider goes bankrupt, or a ransomware attack encrypts your entire server. Do you have a step-by-step document that tells your team exactly what to do? Who calls the CEO? Who talks to the ICO about the data breach? Where are the passwords stored?
At Custom Coded Websites, we build high-availability Django architectures for London businesses that cannot afford downtime. Here is the framework we use to turn a potential catastrophe into a minor inconvenience.
1. Backup vs. Disaster Recovery: What is the Difference?
Most business owners conflate these two terms, but they are distinct:
- Backup: The act of copying data. (e.g., "We have a copy of the database from last night.")
- Disaster Recovery (DR): The strategic plan to restore that data and resume operations. (e.g., "We can spin up a new server in AWS, import the data, and switch the DNS records within 4 hours.")
You can have perfect backups but still be offline for a week if you don't have a recovery plan.
2. Key Metrics: RTO and RPO
Before filling out the template, you must define two critical metrics for your business. These determine how much money you need to spend on your infrastructure.
Recovery Point Objective (RPO)
"How much data can we afford to lose?"
If you back up every night at midnight, and you crash at 11:00 PM, you lose 23 hours of data. Is that acceptable? For a brochure site, yes. For a high-volume e-commerce store, no. We can engineer Real-Time Replication for clients who need an RPO of near-zero.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO)
"How quickly must we be back online?"
Does every minute of downtime cost you £1,000? Or can you wait 48 hours? A shorter RTO requires more expensive, redundant "hot standby" servers.
3. The Disaster Recovery Template
Create a document (printed and stored offline!) with the following sections:
Phase 1: Identification & Declaration
- Trigger Event: What constitutes a disaster? (e.g., Website down for > 1 hour, confirmed data breach).
- The Decision Maker: Who has the authority to declare "Disaster Mode"? (Name and Phone Number).
- The Call Tree: A hierarchy of who calls who. (e.g., CTO calls Lead Dev, Lead Dev calls Hosting Provider).
Phase 2: Communication Plan
If your email server is down, how do you talk? Establish an out-of-band communication channel (e.g., a WhatsApp group or personal Gmails).
External Communication: Prepare template scripts for:
- Customers ("We are experiencing technical difficulties...")
- Stakeholders/Investors.
- Regulatory Bodies (The ICO must be notified within 72 hours of a personal data breach).
Phase 3: Technical Execution (The Runbook)
This needs to be written so that any competent developer can follow it, even if your Lead Dev is on holiday.
- Access Keys: Where are the root passwords and API keys stored? (Use a secure vault like 1Password).
- Infrastructure Spin-up: Instructions to provision a new server.
- Data Restoration: Exact commands to pull the backup from the cloud and import it into the database.
- DNS Switching: How to point your domain name (e.g., customcodedwebsites.com) to the new server IP.
Phase 4: Verification & Handoff
Before opening the doors to the public, verify integrity.
- Check recent orders.
- Test user login.
- Verify SSL certificates are active.
4. Testing the Plan (The Fire Drill)
A plan that hasn't been tested is just a wish. We recommend an annual Tabletop Exercise.
Sit down with your team and say: "Scenario: It is Black Friday, and the database just corrupted. Go." Watch where the panic happens. Do people know where the passwords are? Is the backup file actually valid? Fix the gaps now, when the pressure is off.
Conclusion: Peace of Mind is Priceless
Disasters are rare, but they are inevitable. Whether it is a flood in a data centre or a simple human error, your business's survival depends on your preparation.
At Custom Coded Websites, we don't just build websites; we build resilient digital assets. We include DR planning in our Enterprise Maintenance packages.
Book a Consultation to discuss your RTO, RPO, and build a recovery plan that protects your future.