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In this article, a reliable Chicago IT support provider outlines eight key disaster recovery best practices you can implement and explains where to find further support to strengthen your DR plan.

8 Best Practices For Your Disaster Recovery Plan

1. Define Your Recovery Objectives

Set recovery objectives for each system. These objectives specify how quickly each system must return to service after an outage before it causes significant damage. These targets influence how you structure backups, replication, and vendor contracts. Without them, your plan will lack focus and may delay critical decisions.

Here is an overview of 3 key objectives to consider.

Objective	What It Measures	When It Should Be High	When It Should Be Low
Recovery Time Objective (RTO)	Maximum acceptable downtime for a system	For systems that support internal tasks or where delays cause minimal impact	For systems tied to revenue, customer access, or compliance deadlines
Recovery Point Objective (RPO)	Maximum acceptable data loss, measured in time	When systems process low-value or rarely updated data	When systems handle financials, transactions, or frequent changes
Business Impact Analysis (BIA)	The operational and financial impact of a system failure	When a system supports background processes with little effect on the business	When the system supports core functions, safety, or regulated activity

Remember to choose your objectives based on each individual system, not on your entire IT environment as a whole.

2. Classify Critical Assets

Sort systems, applications, and data based on their role in daily operations. Identify which ones must come back first and which ones can wait. Work with each department to confirm what they need to keep your business operational. This prevents wasted time during recovery and keeps teams productive. It also helps you invest in stronger protection where it matters most.

3. Keep Backups Offsite

You should at least keep one backup copy of your data in an offsite location. Offsite backups prevent a single incident from destroying both your live systems and your recovery options. Use cloud storage or another secure facility for offsite backups. Also, choose a backup method that supports multiple versions and protects against tampering.

4. Assign Clear Ownership

Be sure that every step throughout all of your recovery processes has an assigned owner. Document who triggers recovery, who restores systems, and who manages communications. Include backup contacts for each role. Defined roles and responsibilities reduce confusion and help your team take action without delay.

Additionally, assign at least one backup person for each role. For instance, if your IT lead is on vacation or unavailable, recovery efforts may stall. Redundant contacts keep the process moving and reduce single points of failure.

5. Prioritize Simplicity

Use a disaster recovery plan that matches your actual resources. Avoid complex tools that require full-time staff to manage unless you have them available. Focus on affordable, reliable solutions that protect your most important systems.

6. Use Cloud Backups Strategically

Cloud services lower the barrier to strong recovery planning. They reduce hardware costs, minimize manual tasks, and support fast recovery even when your local systems fail. However, they must be used thoughtfully. Your cloud-based platform should offer built-in automation, version control, and geographic redundancy.

These features support long-term effectiveness as potential data loss risks change.

7. Review Recovery Procedures After Incidents

After any real event or near miss, review how your plan performed. Record what caused delays or confusion and adjust roles or steps as needed. Then, update your documentation accordingly if changes were necessary.

8. Test Regularly

40% of organizations that have a DR plan only test it once a year, and 25% say they “rarely or never” test it. This is a big mistake. You need certainty that your disaster recovery process will perform as intended when you face challenges.

Run disaster recovery tests at least twice a year using real-world scenarios. Don’t just simulate file restores, test full failovers, manual workarounds, and communication channels. Rotate who participates so everyone stays familiar with their role.

Trusted IT Support in Chicago for Implementing Disaster Recovery Best Practices

CloudSecureTech has pointed out that 43% of businesses never recover after a major data loss incident. However, with the right processes in place, these businesses could have been able to maintain business continuity to a point where they would have recovered.

We explore 8 things you can do, but the right experts can take you further.

You can find those experts at The Isidore Group. Our team is well-versed in the latest cybersecurity threats, so we can help you plan or update your strategy to ensure all of the latest threats are addressed. We can also recommend additional best practices beyond these 8.

Contact a trusted IT support provider in Chicago today to strengthen your disaster recovery plan and protect your business from costly disruptions.