This week's discussion topic is as follows:

Forming the Disaster Recovery (DR) Team. Although the IT and Information Security (InfoSec) Departments contribute representatives to this team, it must also include members from outside these two groups. Because much of the DR team's work is about reestablishing business operations at the primary site, the team leader and many members should be drawn from the organization's functional areas.

Not only is this team responsible for the planning for DR, but it also leads the DR process when the disaster is declared. Key considerations in developing the DR team include its organization and the planning needed to identify essential documentation and equipment and then the training and rehearsal to do that when needed. The DR team consists of a team leader, a member of the CPMT, and representatives from every primary organizational unit.

Specific members are selected for their particular skills, ability to liaise between organizational elements, or other specialized qualities. The DR team membership should be distinctly separate from that of any other contingency-related team. Each team has differing responsibilities when activated in a real disaster, and more than one group may be active simultaneously.

Therefore, it is essential that DR team members do not serve with either the IR team or the business continuity (BC) team, as the duties of each team may overlap if an incident escalates into a disaster that requires the implementation of the BC plan. The primary DR team includes representatives from some or all of the following, depending on the organization and industry:

A seemingly routine event can quickly spin out of control, creating a worst-case scenario. This is when a situation results in service disruptions for weeks or months, requiring a government to declare a state of emergency. In dire circumstances, the local or national government could declare martial law to prevent or combat the social disorder.

Example situations and concerns:

1. Even if people are not confined to their homes, only some of an organization's employees may be available for work. Organizations must realize (and communicate to their employees) what is expected of them during this situation. The reality is that most disaster-related loss occurs because of the inability to react correctly to the disaster
2. If the organization survives, it may have to improvise, adapt, and overcome obstacles, including reassigning human and other resources as needed to meet the most critical needs. In many scenarios, as few as one-third of the staff members may be available in the early stages of the recovery period.
3. As additional resources are reclaimed or become available, the balancing act will continue, allowing more functions to be restored and more operations to resume. Fortunately, most disasters are short-lived, lasting only hours or a few days. Even the worst winter storms tend to clear up within a week. Whether employees are at work or home, a DR plan should be prepared to deal with various contingencies over various durations.

How would you pick the individuals to serve on your Disaster Recovery Team?

PLEASE CITE AND USE A REFERENCE