Ensuring resilience: Integrating IT disaster recovery planning and business continuity for sustainable information technology operations

Abstract

Information Technology (IT) Disaster Recovery Planning (IT DRP) and Business Continuity (BC) are essential components of an organization’s overall resilience strategy. IT DRP focuses on the recovery and restoration of IT systems, infrastructure, and services in the event of a disruptive incident or disaster, aiming to minimize downtime and data loss. BC, on the other hand, encompasses a broader perspective, addressing the organization's ability to maintain essential operations and deliver critical services during and after a disruption. This paper provides an overview of IT DRP and BC, highlighting their importance, challenges, and strategies. It also identifies the research gaps and future research scope in these areas. The findings indicate that both IT DRP and BC face challenges in their effective implementation. These challenges include the evolving nature of technology, increasing complexity of IT systems, budget constraints, organizational resistance to change, and the need for skilled personnel. Overcoming these challenges requires a comprehensive understanding of the organization’s IT infrastructure, risk assessment, and the development of robust recovery strategies and plans. It is also noted that despite considerable research on IT DRP and BC, there are several research gaps that deserve attention. These include the development of advanced technologies and tools for more efficient recovery and continuity, the integration of IT DRP and BC with overall organizational risk management, the impact of emerging technologies such as cloud computing and virtualization on recovery strategies, and the evaluation of the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of different IT DRP and BC strategies.