Disaster Recovery Testing: Exercising Your Contingency Plan

Your disaster recovery plan is in place, but as with any plan, you need to test it not only to find holes in the plan, but also confirm the underlying assumptions will work. This is the only book available on this subject and is your guide to the entire testing process. Testing cannot be an afterthought of recovery planning; it must be a powerful, disciplined and efficient implementation tool. This book proves that testing is not an art. It is a science. Despite the ever-evolving nature of business in the global economy and the corresponding increased number of threats to business continuity, this book contains timeless and technology-independent principles from 30 professionals who have contributed their expertise in 36 detailed chapters. Each author provides checklists and suggest topics to cover in any disaster recovery planning document. The book is written in four sections with numerous realistic scenarios and provides beneficial guidance for managing the entire testing process. " 'Disaster Recovery Testing: Exercising Your Contingency Plan, ' written jointly by thirty disaster recovery professionals, drives home the importance of testing the company's contingency plan, discussing necessary management skills, effective use of resources, and the elements of successful testing in various settings. "The authors assume that a disaster recovery plan has already been developed and approved. The book's initial chapters are similar to what one might find in a disaster recovery planning book, including how to justify, budget, and manage the process - but all are geared towards testing. "One important chapter addresses the benefits of client participation. Disaster recovery managers know how important it is to develop a partnership with the client business leaders to address adequately all recovery aspects of business functionality. "Various testing methods and processes are also addressed. The authors provide numerous checklists and suggest topics to cover in any disaster recovery planning document. These lists alone make the book worthwhile. "Overall, ... the material focuses much needed attention on disaster recovery testing. It is written in four well-planned, easy-to-follow sections, with numerous realistic scenarios and ideas to consider. This book will provide useful guidance for management of the entire disaster recovery testing process." --SECURITY MANAGEMENT Magazine " 'Disaster Recovery Testing: Exercising Your Contingency Plan, ' written jointly by thirty disaster recovery professionals, drives home the importance of testing the company's contingency plan, discussing necessary management skills, effective use of resources, and the elements of successful testing in various settings. "The authors assume that a disaster recovery plan has already been developed and approved. The book's initial chapters are similar to what one might find in a disaster recovery planning book, including how to justify, budget, and manage the process - but all are geared towards testing. "One important chapter addresses the benefits of client participation. Disaster recovery managers know how important it is to develop a partnership with the client business leaders to address adequately all recovery aspects of business functionality. "Various testing methods and processes are also addressed. The authors provide numerous checklists and suggest topics to cover in any disaster recovery planning document. These lists alone make the book worthwhile. "Overall, ... the material focuses much needed attention on disaster recovery testing. It is written in four well-planned, easy-to-follow sections, with numerous realistic scenarios and ideas to consider. This book will provide useful guidance for management of the entire disaster recovery testing process." --SECURITY MANAGEMENT Magazine

Philip Jan Rothstein, FBCI, is President of Rothstein Associates Inc., a management consultancy focused on business continuity, disaster avoidance and recovery, and crisis management, founded in 1985. He was elected Fellow by The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) in 1994 in recognition of his substantial contributions to the business continuity industry. Mr. Rothstein has edited, authored or published almost ninety books, including over 80% of all books on business continuity published since 2000. He has published over 200 magazine articles.

Mr. Rothstein is a frequent speaker on business continuity, disaster avoidance, disaster recovery and crisis management for top corporate management and at industry conferences. He is sought after by the media: he has been interviewed on dozens of radio and television programs, and by well over a hundred newspapers and magazines worldwide.

He is Publisher of The Rothstein Catalog on Disaster Recovery, the industry s principal resource for hundreds of books, research reports, software tools and videos, since 1989. He is editor and publisher of the Business SurvivalTM Newsletter, a resource for over 13,000 executive decision-makers worldwide. He has led numerous public and custom seminars on Business Continuity and related issues for the American Management Association, MIS Training Institute, Hitachi Data Systems, Wang Laboratories, Data-Tech Institute and others.