Section 1: Organizational Overview – Leadership Perspective
1. Company Overview:
Can you provide a brief overview of the company's history, mission, and core services?
Which products or services (by %) drive the most significant revenue?
How is the company structured in terms of departments and key business units? Org chart.
2. Service Offerings:
What are the primary services offered to your clients?
How do you categorize your services (critical, essential, non-essential)?
What are the core technologies and platforms supporting these services?
3. Client Base and Contracts:
Who are your primary clients, and what industries do they belong to?
Do you have any Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with clients? If so, what are the key requirements?
Section 2: Critical Business Functions and Processes
4. Critical Processes:
What are the most critical business processes that must continue during a disruption?
Which departments are responsible for these critical processes?
5. Dependencies:
What are the key dependencies for these critical processes (e.g., IT systems, third-party services, personnel)?
Are there any single points of failure that could disrupt these processes?
6. Process Documentation:
Do you have documented standard operating procedures (SOPs) for critical processes?
How often are these SOPs reviewed and updated?
Section 3: IT Infrastructure and Resiliency
7. IT Infrastructure:
Can you provide an overview of your IT infrastructure, including data centers, cloud services, and networks?
How is data backed up, and what is the frequency of backups?
8. Redundancy and Failover:
What redundancy and failover mechanisms are in place for critical systems and services?
Have these mechanisms been tested recently? If so, when was the last test, and what were the results?
9. Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP):
Do you have a formal disaster recovery plan?
How is the DRP tested and validated, and how frequently?
Section 4: Risk Assessment and Business Impact
10. Risk Assessment:
What are the top risks identified for the organization, and how are they prioritized?
How do you assess the potential impact of these risks on business operations?
11. Impact Analysis:
What is the expected impact on business operations if critical systems or services become unavailable?
How do you determine the maximum allowable downtime for critical services?
12. Financial Impact:
What would be the financial impact of a significant disruption to critical business processes?
How is financial impact calculated, and what metrics are used?
Section 5: Communication and Incident Management
13. Incident Response:
What is the process for reporting and managing incidents, including security breaches or system outages?
Who are the key stakeholders involved in incident response, and what are their roles?
14. Communication Plan:
How do you communicate with employees, clients, and other stakeholders during an incident?
Is there a specific communication plan in place for various types of incidents?
15. Lessons Learned:
Can you provide examples of past incidents and how the organization responded?
What lessons were learned, and what improvements have been made since?
Section 6: Regulatory Compliance and Legal Considerations
16. Regulatory Compliance:
What regulatory frameworks and standards does the organization adhere to (NIST, ISO, SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, etc)?
How do you ensure compliance with these regulations during normal operations and disruptions?
17. Legal and Contractual Obligations:
Are there any legal or contractual obligations that must be met during a disruption?
How are these obligations addressed in your continuity and recovery plans?
Section 7: Future Plans and Improvements
18. Future Initiatives:
Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives aimed at improving organizational resiliency?
How do you plan to address any identified gaps or vulnerabilities?
19. Training and Awareness:
How is staff trained on business continuity and disaster recovery procedures?
What ongoing training and awareness programs are in place?
20. Feedback and Continuous Improvement:
How is feedback from stakeholders (clients, employees, etc.) incorporated into your resiliency planning?
Closing:
Is there anything else you would like to add or discuss regarding the organization's business continuity and disaster recovery efforts?
1. Company Overview:
Can you provide a brief overview of the company's history, mission, and core services?
Which products or services (by %) drive the most significant revenue?
How is the company structured in terms of departments and key business units? Org chart.
2. Service Offerings:
What are the primary services offered to your clients?
How do you categorize your services (critical, essential, non-essential)?
What are the core technologies and platforms supporting these services?
3. Client Base and Contracts:
Who are your primary clients, and what industries do they belong to?
Do you have any Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with clients? If so, what are the key requirements?
Section 2: Critical Business Functions and Processes
4. Critical Processes:
What are the most critical business processes that must continue during a disruption?
Which departments are responsible for these critical processes?
5. Dependencies:
What are the key dependencies for these critical processes (e.g., IT systems, third-party services, personnel)?
Are there any single points of failure that could disrupt these processes?
6. Process Documentation:
Do you have documented standard operating procedures (SOPs) for critical processes?
How often are these SOPs reviewed and updated?
Section 3: IT Infrastructure and Resiliency
7. IT Infrastructure:
Can you provide an overview of your IT infrastructure, including data centers, cloud services, and networks?
How is data backed up, and what is the frequency of backups?
8. Redundancy and Failover:
What redundancy and failover mechanisms are in place for critical systems and services?
Have these mechanisms been tested recently? If so, when was the last test, and what were the results?
9. Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP):
Do you have a formal disaster recovery plan?
How is the DRP tested and validated, and how frequently?
Section 4: Risk Assessment and Business Impact
10. Risk Assessment:
What are the top risks identified for the organization, and how are they prioritized?
How do you assess the potential impact of these risks on business operations?
11. Impact Analysis:
What is the expected impact on business operations if critical systems or services become unavailable?
How do you determine the maximum allowable downtime for critical services?
12. Financial Impact:
What would be the financial impact of a significant disruption to critical business processes?
How is financial impact calculated, and what metrics are used?
Section 5: Communication and Incident Management
13. Incident Response:
What is the process for reporting and managing incidents, including security breaches or system outages?
Who are the key stakeholders involved in incident response, and what are their roles?
14. Communication Plan:
How do you communicate with employees, clients, and other stakeholders during an incident?
Is there a specific communication plan in place for various types of incidents?
15. Lessons Learned:
Can you provide examples of past incidents and how the organization responded?
What lessons were learned, and what improvements have been made since?
Section 6: Regulatory Compliance and Legal Considerations
16. Regulatory Compliance:
What regulatory frameworks and standards does the organization adhere to (NIST, ISO, SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, etc)?
How do you ensure compliance with these regulations during normal operations and disruptions?
17. Legal and Contractual Obligations:
Are there any legal or contractual obligations that must be met during a disruption?
How are these obligations addressed in your continuity and recovery plans?
Section 7: Future Plans and Improvements
18. Future Initiatives:
Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives aimed at improving organizational resiliency?
How do you plan to address any identified gaps or vulnerabilities?
19. Training and Awareness:
How is staff trained on business continuity and disaster recovery procedures?
What ongoing training and awareness programs are in place?
20. Feedback and Continuous Improvement:
How is feedback from stakeholders (clients, employees, etc.) incorporated into your resiliency planning?
Closing:
Is there anything else you would like to add or discuss regarding the organization's business continuity and disaster recovery efforts?