AQ'S Corner

At work, I participate in tabletop exercises that focus on Disaster Recovery (DR), Incident Response (IR), and Information System Contingency Plans (ISCP). These exercises bring together customer and project teams to simulate different scenarios, ensuring that everyone knows their roles and responsibilities in case of an emergency. During these sessions, teams collaborate to answer key questions about protocols, using standardized test scripts that my team is responsible for creating and maintaining. However, before these test scripts are implemented plans have to be built.

Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)

Disaster Recovery plans focus on restoring IT systems and operations after a major disruption, such as a natural disaster or cyberattack. The goal is to minimize downtime and ensure business continuity. DR plans include backup solutions, recovery time objectives (RTO), and recovery point objectives (RPO). Organizations use DR plans when a critical system failure occurs, requiring rapid restoration of services.

Incident Response Plan (IRP)

Incident Response plans are designed to handle security incidents like data breaches, malware attacks, or unauthorized access. These plans outline the steps for detecting, responding to, and recovering from security threats. IR plans help organizations contain threats quickly, minimize damage, and prevent future incidents. They are activated when a security event is identified and requires immediate action.

Information System Contingency Plan (ISCP)

An Information System Contingency Plan (ISCP) ensures that critical systems remain functional during unexpected disruptions. Unlike DR, which focuses on full system recovery, ISCP emphasizes maintaining essential operations while issues are being resolved. ISCPs are used when a system experiences temporary failures that require workarounds to sustain business functions.

By conducting regular tabletop exercises, our teams ensure that these plans remain effective and up to date. The collaboration between different teams helps us identify gaps, improve response times, and reinforce best practices. Through standardized test scripts, we ensure consistency in how scenarios are tested, making our organization more resilient to disruptions.