What is a Disaster Recovery Plan for HIPAA Compliance?

comp

Organizations within and adjacent to healthcare must establish processes to restore assets to their original state and safeguard sensitive healthcare data if a disaster occurs. By implementing a disaster recovery plan for HIPAA compliance, you will respond faster to security incidents and minimize downtime across your organization. Read on to learn more.

How to Implement a Disaster Recovery Plan for HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was established to safeguard the privacy and sensitivity of protected health information (PHI). To effectively mitigate potential disasters and other related contingencies, organizations must implement a disaster recovery plan for HIPAA, which requires an understanding of:

  • The primary HIPAA Rules and how they apply to organizations in healthcare
  • The HIPAA disaster recovery requirements and how they inform contingency planning

Working with a HIPAA compliance specialist will help you optimize HIPAA disaster recovery planning and ensure your organization’s data is secure, whether at rest or in transit.

Breakdown of the HIPAA Rules

Before creating and implementing a disaster recovery plan for HIPAA , it is critical to understand how the HIPAA Rules may apply to your organization. HIPAA provides a framework for optimizing compliance across any organization that handles PHI, whether physically, electronically, or in both forms.

HIPAA comprises four primary Rules :

  • Health plans, which pay for the costs of healthcare services
  • Healthcare providers, who provide or facilitate the delivery of healthcare
  • Healthcare clearinghouses, which convert PHI from one form to another
  • Administrative safeguards, which provide oversight for all HIPAA security controls implemented across your organization
  • Technical safeguards, which ensure that security controls for ePHI are functioning optimally  
  • Physical safeguards, which prevent unauthorized entry into physical environments containing ePHI
  • The individuals whose data is compromised
  • The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)
  • Enforcement Rule – Under the Enforcement Rule—which is overseen by the HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR)—HIPAA-related complaints are reviewed and evaluated for potential violation of HIPAA.

For the majority of their day-to-day operations handling PHI, covered entities will leverage the safeguards listed in the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules to protect the PHI from data breaches. When implemented hand-in-hand, the Privacy and Security Rule requirements will help you mitigate the security risks associated with data breaches.

Compliance with HIPAA will also help optimize HIPAA disaster recovery and minimize any security risks to the physical or electronic PHI you handle.

What are the HIPAA Disaster Recovery Requirements ?

When it comes to mitigating security risks and surviving a disaster that may affect sensitive PHI or disrupt business operations, advance planning is critical. Most disasters are abrupt and often find organizations ill-prepared to handle them, resulting in a higher risk of business disruption.

A disaster can be defined as any circumstance or event that occurs outside your control, with the potential of inflicting significant damage to your IT infrastructure and compromising sensitive data. For organizations within and adjacent to healthcare, a disaster can be:

  • Cyber attacks which lock users out of computer systems or networks
  • Extreme weather (e.g., hurricanes) that results in prolonged power outages
  • System downtime resulting in reduced or non-existent IT availability 

Compliance with the HIPAA disaster recovery requirements will help you achieve a robust and effective disaster recovery plan for HIPAA and minimize disruptions to business operations. 

Work

HIPAA Contingency Planning

The requirements for creating and implementing a HIPAA disaster recovery plan are listed under those for HIPAA contingency planning . A HIPAA contingency plan helps keep operations online and increases the availability of PHI during emergency situations. 

Beyond safeguarding the accessibility and sensitivity of PHI during disaster scenarios, a contingency plan helps minimize any disruptions to business operations. 

A HIPAA contingency plan typically includes five implementation specifications:

  • A data backup plan to ensure that PHI can be retrieved without compromising its integrity
  • A disaster recovery plan to restore lost data to its original state
  • An emergency mode operation plan to maintain business continuity during emergencies
  • Testing and revision procedures to pressure test disaster recovery and broader contingency plans
  • Application and data criticality analysis to identify the most critical assets to keep in operation during emergencies

Implementation of a HIPAA disaster recovery plan is not an independent process; it happens in tandem with the remaining four specifications to achieve a fully functional contingency plan.

Inventory of HIPAA-Critical Assets

HIPAA disaster recovery and contingency planning cannot be fully effective if your asset inventory is incomplete, inaccurate, or poorly documented. Should a disaster strike, there are high chances that asset users will be panicking to manage the ramifications of the disaster.

An up-to-date asset inventory will aid HIPAA disaster recovery by streamlining processes for:

  • On-premise assets (e.g., workstations, servers)
  • Cloud-based assets (e.g., applications, databases)
  • Endpoints (e.g., mobile devices)
  • Backing up on-premise and cloud-based assets
  • Phasing asset recovery and restoration efforts
  • PCI DSS , which safeguards cardholder data (CHD)
  • EU GDPR , which protects the rights of data subjects who are citizens of European Union (EU) Member States

A carefully planned and well-maintained asset inventory will minimize delays in identifying critical assets during HIPAA disaster recovery and prevent unexpected sensitive data losses.

agreement

Disaster Recovery Processes and Procedures

Developing a disaster recovery plan for HIPAA -subject data requires clear documentation and dissemination of the processes and procedures that your organization will follow when managing a disaster, should one occur. Disaster recovery scenarios can range anywhere from situations involving severe weather to full-blown cyber attacks. When developing a HIPAA disaster recovery plan, example s of potential disasters will help optimize disaster recovery planning to the unique complexity of your organization’s IT infrastructure.

Critical processes and procedures for managing disaster recovery scenarios include:

  • Informing employees across the organization about impending disasters
  • Notifying dedicated IT teams about signs of a disaster
  • Initiating storage backups for critical data files
  • Relaying updates about disaster management to employees 
  • Monitoring the disaster scenario
  • Escalating disaster recovery processes to experts like managed security service providers (MSSPs)
  • Defining the limits for asset downtime

When creating and implementing a HIPAA disaster recovery plan, it is critical to consider the factor that may affect business continuity when a disaster occurs. 

Although some disasters—such as system downtime due to a technical issue—are easily managed, others may be more challenging to resolve. For example, sophisticated malware or ransomware attacks may shut down your entire infrastructure and prevent business continuity.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of a disaster recovery plan for HIPAA is best optimized in partnership with a HIPAA compliance expert .

Manage and Optimize HIPAA Disaster Recovery 

Establishing a fully operational HIPAA disaster recovery plan is a critical step in ensuring your organization’s sensitive data will not be compromised if you are affected by a disaster. The most effective way to optimize your disaster recovery plan for HIPAA is to work with a HIPAA compliance partner , who will advise on the best strategies to minimize downtime for your organization. To learn more and get started, contact RSI Security today !

' src=

RSI Security

RSI Security is the nation’s premier cybersecurity and compliance provider dedicated to helping organizations achieve risk-management success. We work with some of the world’s leading companies, institution and governments to ensure the safety of their information and their compliance with applicable regulation. We also are a security and compliance software ISV and stay at the forefront of innovative tools to save assessment time, increase compliance and provide additional safeguard assurance. With a unique blend of software based automation and managed services, RSI Security can assist all sizes of organizations in managing IT governance, risk management and compliance efforts (GRC). RSI Security is an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) and Qualified Security Assessor (QSA).

DoD Compliance, Explained: NIST 800-53 Rev 4, 800-171, and CMMC

What is penetration testing as a service, you may also like, hipaa breach notification rule – what does it..., what is hipaa and what is its purpose, guide to deidentified patient data security, what is phi (protected health information), main goals of hitech: everything you need to..., how to keep your hipaa compliance efforts up..., top emerging security threats in healthcare, hipaa security risk management requirements, explained, what’s the difference between hipaa and pipeda for..., ocr hipaa enforcement, explained, leave a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. If you have any questions about our policy, we invite you to read more. Accept Read More

Compliancy Group

What is a HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan?

HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan

The HIPAA Security Rule requires covered entities to implement administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic protected health information (ePHI). The administrative safeguard provision of the Security Rule requires organizations to implement contingency plans. Organizations must develop a HIPAA disaster recovery plan as part of this implementation process.

What Are the Elements of a HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan?

The administrative safeguard contingency plan standard requires covered entities and business associates to establish, and implement as needed, policies and procedures for responding to an emergency or other occurrence (for example, fire, vandalism, system failure, and natural disaster) that damages systems that contain ePHI .

The following three specific plans must be implemented under the HIPAA Security Rule :

  • A data backup plan: A data backup plan consists of establishing and implementing procedures to create and maintain retrievable exact copies of electronic protected health information;
  • An emergency mode operation plan: An emergency mode operation plan requires that an organization establish, and implement as needed, procedures to enable continuation of critical business processes for the protection of the security of ePHI while operating in emergency mode; and
  • A disaster recovery plan: A HIPAA disaster recovery plan requires an entity to establish, and implement as needed, procedures to restore any loss of data.

The HIPAA Security Rule administrative safeguards provision does not specify the precise elements of a HIPAA disaster recovery plan. However, HIPAA disaster recovery plan best practices have evolved over the years, to the point where there are now commonly accepted components of a HIPAA disaster recovery plan. These components include:

  • A communication plan: A disaster recovery plan should contain a procedure for how employees are to communicate with other employees, and with management, in the event of a disaster. The plan should indicate how a disaster should be reported, and who should be notified of a disaster. The plan should include employee contact information to allow for prompt reporting and notification. The plan should also describe each employee’s role in the days following the disaster. The plan should designate employee assignments, such as who will assess damage, and who will have overall responsibility for systems recovery; 
  • A detailed asset inventory : The HIPAA disaster recovery plan should contain a detailed inventory of all computer workstations and their components, as well as scanners, tablets, phones, and printers that are regularly used by staff. Having an inventory can serve as a quick reference for insurance claims after a major disaster; you can give the claims adjuster the asset inventory along with photos of the inventory. This can accelerate the insurance claim process;
  • An equipment plan: Desktop computers, laptop computers, printers, and other computer equipment can be damaged in the event of major storms, blackouts, or earthquakes. The HIPAA disaster recovery plan should describe how this equipment should be protected in the event of a disaster. This description should consist of various steps. For example, to prevent water damage, equipment should first be moved off the floor, then (if possible) moved into a room or area with no windows, and then, the equipment should be wrapped securely in plastic or other material to prevent water from getting in;
  • A data restoration priority plan: This plan should outline what data functionality should be restored first in the event of a disaster. The plan should then outline the remaining order of priority for data restoration. Prioritization should reflect both legal and business concerns. Data required by law to be maintained or secured, such as PHI in the case of HIPAA, and injury and illness records in the case of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSH Act”) should be prioritized for recovery. Restoration of data  – such as billing information and online appointment calendars – that is necessary for the business to continue at a minimum level of service, should also be prioritized. 
  • A vendor communication and service restoration plan: When the disaster is over, you will want to restore services as quickly as possible. This requires prompt communication with vendors such as phone and internet providers, and electricity providers. The HIPAA disaster recovery plan should contain the contact information of all vendors, along with a description of when and how (e.g., telephone, Internet) each vendor is to be contacted. 

Having all of these components in the HIPAA disaster recovery plan will not matter if employees do not know where to locate the plan, or have not been trained on the plan’s elements. Therefore, healthcare organizations should ensure that the disaster recovery plan is made available to employees, and ensure that the plan is accessible at more than one location. Organizations with a single location should store a copy of the plan at an offsite location. Employees should know where the offsite location is. In addition, organizations should conduct periodic training on the disaster recovery plan so employees will know what is expected of them under the plan. 

Modernize Your Compliance

Using automated compliance software compliance is a breeze..

Global CTAs Image

Our Product

HIPAA Seal of Compliance

Featured Case Studies

From our blog, get in touch.

G2

© 2024 Compliancy Group LLC. All Rights Reserved | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Upcoming Webinar: Lessons & Examples from 2023's HIPAA Fines

Save 15% on Compliance Services. Learn More

The Importance of Disaster Recovery for Healthcare Organizations and HIPAA Compliance

Rob Godard, I.S. Partners

Updated on August 11, 2022 by Robert Godard

Share this article!

disaster recovery hipaa

Constant availability of a HIPAA-compliant computing ecosystem is non-negotiable in today’s technologically-driven, round-the-clock healthcare environment. Healthcare systems now fully rely on enormous masses of data at all times, which means that HIPAA compliance is always a serious concern, in terms of both protection and availability.

Not only do healthcare organizations need to comply with HIPAA regulations at all times, but any business handling healthcare data, in any capacity, must always maintain full HIPAA compliance.

Disaster Recovery Is Vital to Maintaining HIPAA Compliance During Unexpected Events

Disaster Recovery (DR) is a key component to the healthcare industry for a few core reasons, but the most central reason being in relation to high-availability. Anyone who needs access to data that is important to a specific task at hand knows how frustrating it can be to find themselves unable to locate and open it right away.

Then consider the dire potential consequences of not being able to access files on the large scale of a healthcare system when searching for patient records during a life-threatening emergency. The inability to learn about a patient’s allergies or medical history in an instant can mean the difference between life and death. The gravity of the need for easy access to healthcare data cannot be overstated since lives and liabilities are on the line at all times.

Further, DR is important to any organization that relies on electronic records for the sake of business continuity.

One of the most important pieces of digital data, which is also one of the most coveted types of data among cybercriminals, is electronic protected health information (ePHI). It was understood early in the adoption and implementation of far-reaching electronic practices in the healthcare industry that this type of data would attract hacking and other nefarious activities, as well as being vulnerable to natural and man-made disasters, making it was essential to create regulations to protect it and ensure its availability.

Any type of disaster can negatively impact ePHI at any moment, so businesses of all sizes and scales—particularly healthcare organizations—must design, develop, maintain and regularly audit a comprehensive disaster recovery plan.

What Is HIPAA Compliance and What Does It Entail in Relation to Disaster Recovery?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was created and enacted to anticipate, prevent and mitigate risks that healthcare IT leaders might encounter in their stewardship of ePHI during the most challenging times.

Disasters can—and often do—happen in an instant, leaving healthcare organizations at great risk for inaccessibility to crucial data to run the healthcare system and retrieve life-saving information about patients, so HIPAA covers this realm of protection of ePHI as well. Disasters that can impact healthcare data include floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, blackouts and data breaches. Any one of these events can leave everyone involved open to various risks, so HIPAA covers each one.

Every healthcare system needs strong and reliable data recovery protocols, along with a HIPAA contingency plan in order to maintain HIPAA compliance under the most unpredictable of conditions. The HIPAA helps to clarify what is needed as the foundation for such DR strategies under the Administrative Safeguards under the Security Rule and within Title II.

The Administrative Safeguards are stated as “administrative actions, and policies and procedures, to manage the selection, development, implementation, and maintenance of security measures to protect electronic protected health information and to manage the conduct of the covered entity’s workforce in relation to the protection of that information.” Along with an ironclad disaster recovery plan , the Administrative Safeguards are intended to keep data safe under any conditions.

The DR plan fully describes the processes that need to be followed in the event of any type of emergency that occurs, as well as which specific individuals are who hold the responsibility of certain key tasks to restore or maintain access to data per HIPAA regulations. Such a protocol is particularly important in situations where the events themselves are so unpredictable that it makes human response potentially erratic as well. With a carefully planned, understood and practiced set of guidelines in place, it helps everyone maintain focus on their respective responsibilities under confusing, or even chaotic, circumstances. The DR should also discuss how data can be managed and migrated in a HIPAA-compliant way under the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.

A DR plan should also include detailed instructions on how ePHI and the organization’s defense systems that serve to protect it will be restored and put back into place if they do go down for any duration. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) does not prescribe mandatory steps that IT leaders must take to establish such a plan or protections, but if a healthcare organization does not recover from a disaster within a reasonable timeframe, the organization may be charged with a HIPAA violation.

Every healthcare organization has a duty of care to ensure that patients and their ePHI are fully protected and can in no way be compromised during any downtime period. Additionally, it is just as vital that the security and integrity of their data are never at risk while under the organization’s care. As long as healthcare IT leaders follow the established guidelines set forth in HIPAA, it should be relatively easy to establish policies and procedures to make it easy to do this at all times.

Compliance questions? Get answers!

Book a free 30-minute consultation with a specialist to find your path to compliance. Secure your spot today.

What Steps Do You Need to Follow to Ensure Peak Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Per HIPAA Guidelines?

As you begin to plan your own DR plan, it is important to keep key points in mind, such as the need for data backup, emergency mode operations, testing and revision procedures, and the ability to determine which applications and data are critical for operations.

Here are some basic steps you can take to ensure you and your healthcare IT team are on the path to developing and implementing a rock-solid DR plan.

  • Determine all the ePHI that needs backup and protection, as well as where it is located within the system.
  • Decide on the method you plan to use to back up the data, along with where the backups will be place and how you plan to secure them.
  • Land on how frequently each backup will undergo restoration and how those backups will be replicated.
  • Attempt to forecast the types of risks that your healthcare organization are most likely to face then create a distinct plan for each possible threat.
  • Develop an overarching general response and recovery plan for any emergency you may not be able to predict since there are certainly possible scenarios that can go unforeseen.

When planning for specific events that you feel confident in forecasting, follow these basic steps:

  • Establish roles and responsibilities for everyone on staff.
  • Create and maintain documentation of all policies, roles, processes and responsibilities. Make sure this documentation is always readily available to everyone and that it undergoes regular reviews and updates.
  • Determine how your healthcare system will ensure the privacy and the integrity of its critical infrastructure and data during a disaster situation.
  • Figure out the priority of systems during the restoration process.
  • Set up regular testing procedures for disaster recovery processes, which might include training programs and drills.

Are You Confident That Your Disaster Recovery Plan is HIPAA-Compliant?

Are you prepared for any potential disaster event, natural or man-made? If you are worried about your DR plan as it stands right now, and whether it is fully HIPAA-compliant, our disaster recovery team of experts at I.S. Partners, LLC. can help you get up to speed to ease your mind.

Call us at 215-675-1400 . We invite you to experience “Audits without Anxiety!”™ by filling out our online form to request a quote for a compliance check today.

Get a Quote Try our Compliance Checker

About The Author

Rob Godard, I.S. Partners

Robert Godard

Related Content

Gain Deeper Insights

healthcare security

How the 405(d) Program Supports Cybersecurity in Healthcare

Bernie Gallagher, I.S. Partners

Bernard Gallagher

FISMA data retention

Guidelines for Developing Your Data Retention Policy

business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

Data Privacy at Risk with Health and Wellness Apps

Get started

Get a Customized Quote

Please fill out the form to schedule a free, 30-minute consultation. This consultation will allow us to create a customized plan and an accurate quote just for you.

Want to speak to us now?

Great companies think alike.

Join hundreds of other companies that trust I.S. Partners for their compliance, attestation and security needs.

business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

Request a detailed estimate

HIPAA Disaster Recovery Planning

Published on : 20 Oct 2023

HIPAA Disaster Recovery Planning

In the digital era, Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are crucial in healthcare, making Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) an essential asset. However, ePHI is vulnerable to threats like cyber attacks and natural disasters, making disaster recovery planning (DRP) vital.

Healthcare organizations must implement HIPAA-compliant DRPs to protect ePHI, ensuring continued operation during disasters. This blog explores the importance of DRP in the context of EHRs and provides insights for healthcare CIOs to establish or enhance their DRP.

Why Is Disaster Planning Important for Healthcare Organizations?

Healthcare organizations need to maintain system and network availability for critical operations to safeguard patient health. The significance of disaster recovery planning is emphasized below:

  • Patient Safety : Ensures safety and care for patients during disasters.
  • Data Protection : Safeguards sensitive data, preventing legal and financial issues.
  • Service Continuity : Ensures essential healthcare services remain operational.
  • Regulatory Compliance : Meets requirements like HIPAA that mandate disaster recovery plans.
  • Financial Stability : Mitigates the financial impact of disasters, including costs from data breaches or loss of revenue.
  • Reputation Management : Maintains trust with patients and stakeholders by demonstrating effective disaster response.

Disaster recovery planning is essential for healthcare organizations to ensure uninterrupted service during unexpected events.

Despite its importance, it’s often neglected in IT budgeting. Hence, healthcare CIOs need to prioritize and allocate resources for it.

What is a Contingency Plan Policy?

According to the Contingency Plan Policy in HIPAA section 164.308(a)(7)(i) , covered entities must “formulate and execute, as needed, guidelines and procedures to respond to emergencies or other incidents (like system failure, fire, vandalism, or natural disaster) that damage systems containing ePHI.”

While entities can choose their methods for HIPAA disaster recovery planning, HIPAA mandates basic requirements in section 164.308(a)(7)(ii) , requiring organizations to address certain aspects.

  • Data Backup Plan (Mandatory) : Formulate and execute strategies to generate and preserve accessible exact replicas of electronic protected health information.
  • Disaster Recovery Plan (Mandatory) : Develop (and apply as necessary) strategies to recover any data loss.
  • Emergency Mode Operation Plan (Mandatory) : Formulate (and apply as necessary) strategies to ensure the continuation of vital business processes for the protection of the security of electronic protected health information during emergency operations.
  • Testing and Revision Procedures (Addressable) : Enforce strategies for regular testing and modification of contingency plans.
  • Applications and Data Criticality Analysis (Addressable) : Evaluate the relative importance of specific applications and data in support of other contingency plan elements.

Implementing Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Measures for Covered Entities:

Let’s talk about how Covered Entities can implement Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Measures. It’s not as complicated as it sounds!

Identify and Catalog ePHI Assets:

Create an inventory:.

Begin by creating a comprehensive inventory of all critical assets within the healthcare organization. These assets can be tangible, like medical equipment and IT hardware, or intangible, like Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), Laboratory Information Systems (LIS), and other software applications that store, process, or transmit ePHI.

Detail the Assets:

Catalog each asset in the inventory with its specific details. This should include:

  • Specifications: Record assets’ technical details, including model, capacity, software version, and type of ePHI data handled by software applications.
  • Location: Document the physical or digital location of assets, including on-premise servers, cloud storage, or third-party data centers for ePHI data.
  • Personnel Responsible: Note the contact details of personnel responsible for asset maintenance and security, such as IT administrators or department heads.

This asset identification and cataloging helps healthcare organizations understand ePHI storage, processing, and transmission.

Perform ePHI Risk Assessment:

Potential threats:.

Identify threats to ePHI assets, including natural disasters, technical issues, and security threats.

Impact Analysis:

Assess the potential impact on ePHI assets post threat identification, considering downtime, data loss, and financial implications.

  • Downtime: Estimate potential downtime of an ePHI asset due to a threat. Data
  • Loss: Determine possible ePHI data loss extent due to a threat.
  • Financial Implications: Evaluate potential financial loss from a threat, including recovery costs, HIPAA violation penalties, and revenue loss during downtime.

Perform ePHI Business Impact Analysis (BIA):

Quantify potential effects:.

Start the BIA process by assessing the potential impacts of a disruption to critical healthcare operations from a disaster. This includes estimating potential revenue loss, additional expenses such as recovery costs or HIPAA violation penalties, and intangible effects like reputation damage or regulatory compliance issues.

  • Critical Functions: Identify key operational functions, including patient care services, IT systems managing ePHI, and supply chain systems.
  • Recovery Resources: Identify resources for recovery, including trained personnel, compliant equipment and IT systems, data backup solutions, and secure facilities.

Develop an ePHI Recovery Strategy:

Choose a recovery method:.

Determine a restoration method for ePHI assets in disasters, aligning with the organization’s continuity plan and risk tolerance.

Set up backup and recovery procedures:

Develop protocols for duplicating and restoring ePHI data during data loss events.

  • Off-site backups : Store backups at a location separate from the primary site, such as on DVDs, CDs, or cloud storage.
  • Cloud backups : Store backups on the cloud to provide easy access from any location and eliminate the risk of physical damage to storage media.

Implement Redundancy:

Maintain duplicate systems or data to fall back on in case of a failure. Examples include:

  • RAID systems : Use RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) for data storage across multiple disks to enhance data reliability and performance.
  • Mirrored servers : Maintain servers with real-time ePHI copies. If the primary server fails, the mirrored server ensures minimal downtime.

Consider Alternate Site Options:

If the primary site is inoperable, ensure an alternate site for healthcare operations.

  • Hot sites: Have facilities for immediate takeover post-disaster.
  • Warm sites: Maintain hardware-equipped sites for eventual operation.
  • Cold sites: Provide basic facilities for necessary equipment installation.

Assign ePHI Roles and Responsibilities:

Designate roles for ephi recovery:.

A team leader to oversee recovery, an IT team for technical restoration ePHI data, and a damage assessment team.

Establish an ePHI Communication Strategy:

Create a communication plan to inform key stakeholders (like healthcare professionals, management, patients, and third-party service providers) in the event of an ePHI disaster. The plan should outline:

  • How will communication occur? This could be via email notifications, phone calls, or emergency meetings.
  • Who will communicate? This could be the disaster recovery team leader or a designated communication officer.
  • What will be communicated? This could include the nature of the disaster, the expected impact on ePHI data, and the steps being taken for recovery.

Conduct ePHI Tabletop Exercises:

Conduct simulated exercises to test the ePHI disaster recovery plan. These exercises can reveal plan gaps and train the recovery team, ensuring preparedness for real ePHI disasters.

If you’re interested in more on Tabletop Exercises, I can create a blog post. By implementing a comprehensive DRP, organizations can lessen disaster impact and ensure quick, efficient recovery.

Conclusion:

We’ve identified key elements in a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) for HIPAA standards. Addressable policies can be managed within or outside the DRP. Regular testing and adjustments are essential due to changes in ePHI applications. With the rise in natural disasters and security breaches, a functional DRP is crucial for business continuity, regardless of HIPAA mandates

Narendra Sahoo

Narendra Sahoo (PCI QPA, PCI QSA, PCI SSF ASSESSOR, CISSP, CISA, CRISC, 27001 LA) is the Founder and Director of VISTA InfoSec, a global Information Security Consulting firm, based in the US, Singapore & India. Mr. Sahoo holds more than 25 years of experience in the IT Industry, with expertise in Information Risk Consulting, Assessment, & Compliance services. VISTA InfoSec specializes in Information Security audit, consulting and certification services which include GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, NESA, MAS-TRM, PCI DSS Compliance & Audit, PCI PIN, SOC2 Compliance & Audit, PDPA, PDPB to name a few. The company has for years (since 2004) worked with organizations across the globe to address the Regulatory and Information Security challenges in their industry. VISTA InfoSec has been instrumental in helping top multinational companies achieve compliance and secure their IT infrastructure.

Recent Post

  • USA: +1-415-513-5261
  • Singapore: +65-3129-0397
  • Mumbai: +91 99872 44769 / +91 73045 57744
  • UK: +442081333131

Enquiry Form

  • [email protected]

Enquire Now

Free One Session of Consultation

Essential cookies

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

All Cookies

Non-essential cookies.

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, and other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

Message Sent!

Thank you for sharing your contact details. our team will get back to you shortly.

  • Who Are We?
  • Partnership Program
  • Our Clients
  • Client Testimonials
  • Gallery & Events
  • SOC1 Advisory and Attestation
  • SOC2 Audit and Attestation
  • PCI DSS 4.0 Audit & Compliance
  • PCI PIN Security and Certification
  • PCI SSF Advisory & Certification
  • ISO27001 Advisory and Certification
  • ISO 20000 Advisory and Certification
  • Business Continuity (ISO 22301)
  • Cloud Risk – CCM / CStar / ISO27017
  • Vendor Third-Party Risk Management
  • Vulnerability Assessment
  • Penetration Testing
  • Red Team Assessment Services
  • Web App Security Assessment
  • Mobile Security Risk Assessment
  • Thick Client Security Assessment
  • Virtualization Risk Assessment
  • Secure Configuration Assessment
  • Source Code Review
  • ATM Security Assessment
  • GDPR Compliance Consulting and Audit
  • HIPAA Compliance Consulting and Audit
  • CCPA Consulting and Audit
  • NESA Consulting and Audit
  • MAS-TRM Consulting and Audit
  • NCA ECC Compliance
  • SAMA Compliance
  • SOX Compliance & Audit
  • FDA CFR Part11
  • CMMC Compliance
  • Adaptive Security Management
  • DPO Consulting Services
  • PCI SAQ Services
  • CISO Advisory Services
  • Managed Compliance Services
  • Managed Security Services
  • Infrastructure Audit
  • Infrastructure Design & Advisory
  • Datacenter Design & Consulting
  • Training & Skill Development
  • Data Privacy Laws & Standard
  • Banking, Financial Service & Insurance
  • Cloud-based Service Providers
  • Data Analytics
  • Payment Card and Processing
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Retail & Manufacturing
  • Expert Videos
  • Externally Published Articles
  • Write For VISTA InfoSec
  • Book A Call (Free Consultation)
  • Struggling to Achieve Cyber Security & Compliance Goals? Get Expert Guidance Free Consultation ×

business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

  • Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity for HIPAA Contingency Plan

Disasters strike unannounced, and strategic planning is the key to business survival. A well-crafted Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan is your shield against unforeseen challenges.

Understanding the Essence of a Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan

In the fast-paced business landscape, having a DRBCP isn’t just a suggestion; it’s a necessity. This plan serves as the lifeline for your operations during crises, encompassing everything from natural disasters to cyber threats. Let’s break down the components that make a DRBCP indispensable.

1. Risk Assessment: Identifying Vulnerabilities Begin your DRBCP journey with a meticulous risk assessment. Pinpoint potential threats, whether it’s a server malfunction or a cybersecurity breach. Understanding vulnerabilities is the first step toward building a resilient plan.

2. Creating a Detailed Recovery Plan Craft a detailed recovery plan tailored to your business needs. This involves outlining step-by-step procedures to mitigate the impact of disruptions swiftly. Speed is of the essence when recovering from a crisis.

3. Ensuring Data Security: The Backbone of Continuity In an era dominated by digital interactions, safeguarding your data is paramount. Implement robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive information. Your DRBCP should seamlessly integrate data security protocols.

4. Regular Testing and Updates A stagnant plan is a vulnerable plan. Regularly test your DRBCP to identify gaps and areas of improvement. Keep it updated to align with the dynamic nature of your business and emerging threats.

The HIPAA Security Rule 164.308(a)(7)(i) identifies Contingency Plan as a standard under Administrative Safeguards. Contingency Planning means the overall process of developing disaster Recovery and business continuity plans and procedures to ensure your business can respond to a disaster and resume its critical business functions within a required time frame objective. The primary objective is to reduce the level of risk and cost to you and the impact on your staff, customers, and business associates.

Who can use Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity for HIPAA Contingency Plan Templates?

These templates can be used by Healthcare entities like Hospitals, Insurers, Long Term Care/Skilled Nursing Facilities, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Assisted Living/Intermediate Care Facilities, Clinical Laboratories, Clinics, Dialysis Providers, Employer Plans, HMOs, Home Health Agencies, Hospices, Pharmacies, Physicians, PPOs, Rehabilitation Facilities, other payers & providers and business associates of healthcare organizations.

These templates have been used by IT departments of different companies, security consulting companies, manufacturing companies, service companies, financial institutions, educational organizations, law firms, pharmaceuticals & biotechnology companies, telecommunication companies, and other disaster recovery plan templates.

Our templates for covered entities can jump-start your HIPAA Contingency Plan project and save you a lot of time for your team and money. HIPAA Contingency Plan templates suite has more than 100 documents that have been customized to help you meet the following requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule standards and associated implementation specifications.

HIPAA Contingency Plan template suite can be used for Disaster Recovery Plan Template (DRP) & Business Continuity Plan (BCP) by any organization to comply with requirements of HIPAA, JCAHO, and ISO 27002. Any organization, large or small, can use this template and adapt to its environment. Following are the main focus area In our templates:

  • Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
  • Risk Assessment
  • Selecting and Implementing Recovery Strategies
  • Contingency Program Policy & Standards
  • Data Backup and Storage Plan
  • Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)
  • Business Continuity Plan (BCP)
  • Emergency Mode Operation Plan (EMOP)
  • DRP & BCP Testing and Revision Plan
  • Business Resumption Plan examples for depts. like Accounting, Human resources, etc
  • Policies and procedures
  • Department Disaster Recovery Activation
  • Recovery Strategies
  • Training of the Disaster Recovery Team
  • Testing of the Disaster Recovery Plan
  • Evaluation of the Disaster Recovery Plan Tests
  • Maintenance of the Disaster Recovery Plan

Documents in HIPAA Contingency Plan Template Suite: Sub-Section: Conducting a Business Impact Analysis (BIA)

  • Conducting a Business Impact Analysis (Guide) (23 pages)
  • Long Version Business Impact Analysis Template (21 pages)
  • Short Version Business Impact Analysis Template (6 pages)
  • Applications and Data Criticality Analysis Template (24 pages)
  • Final Business Unit Report Template includes the following sub-documents (8 pages)
  • Department Financial Impact Chart Template (1 page)
  • Department Operational Impact Chart Template (1 page)
  • Department Legal/Regulatory Chart Template (1 page)
  • Final Executive Management Report Template includes the following sub-documents (23 pages)
  • Combined Financial Impact Chart Template (2 pages)
  • Combined Operational Impact Chart Template ( 3 pages)
  • Combined Legal/Regulatory Chart Template (1 page)
  • Combined People Over Time Chart Template (3 pages)

Sub-Section: Conducting a HIPAA Risk Assessment

  • Conducting a Risk Assessment (Guide) (15 pages)
  • Risk Assessment Template (17 pages)
  • Risk Assessment Worksheet (14 pages)
  • Executive Risk Assessment Findings Report (15 pages)
  • Preventative Measures Examples (6 pages)
  • Final Facility Risk Assessment Report (10 pages)
  • Executive Report Charts Template (5 Charts) (5 pages)

Sub-Section: Selecting And Implementing Recovery Strategies

  • Implementing Recovery Strategies includes the following sub-documents (15 pages)
  • Contingency Planning Process (8 pages)

Sub-Section: Sample Documents

  • Example of Completed Long Version BIA (24 pages)
  • Example of Completed Short Version BIA (4 pages)
  • Example of Completed App & Data Criticality Analysis (39 pages)
  • Example of Completed Business Unit Final Report (8 pages)
  • Example of Charts to support Business Unit Final Report (3 Charts) (3 pages)
  • Example of Completed Executive Management Report (40 pages)
  • Example of Completed Risk Assessment (17 pages)
  • Example of Completed Final Risk Assessment Report (16 pages)
  • Example Completed Risk Assessment Worksheet (14 pages)

Sub-Section: Contingency Program Policy & Standards

  • Business Impact Analysis Policy includes the following sub-document (12 pages)
  • Business Impact Analysis Standard (14 pages)
  • Risk Assessment Policy includes the following sub-document (11 pages)
  • Risk Assessment Standard (11 pages)
  • Contingency Planning Policy includes the following sub-documents (10 pages)
  • Disaster Recovery Planning Standard (69 pages)
  • Testing and Revision Policy will include the following sub-documents (17 pages)
  • Testing & Revision Standards (14 pages)
  • Data Backup Plan Policy Template will include the following sub-documents (15 pages)
  • Data Backup Standard (8 pages)
  • Training & Awareness Standard (7 pages)
  • Instructions on how to update all standards (3 pages)

Sub-Section: Appendix Documents (Help Guides / Templates)

  • Types of Contingency Plans (9 pages)

Sub-Section: Data Backup and Storage Plan

  • Data Backup Plan (DBP) Template (18 pages)
  • Data Backup Plan (DBP) development Guide (11 pages)

Sub-Section: Disaster Recovery Plan

  • Application Recovery Template (23 pages)
  • Application Recovery Plan Development Guide (18 pages)
  • Network Recovery Template (20 pages)
  • Network Recovery Plan Development Guide (15 pages)
  • Database Recovery Template (19 pages)
  • Database Recovery Plan Development Guide (16 pages)
  • Server Recovery Template (19 pages)
  • Server Recovery Plan Development Guide (15 pages)
  • Telecommunications Recovery Template (19 pages)
  • Telecom Recovery Plan Development Guide (17 pages)
  • Disaster Recovery Plan Overview (38 pages)
  • Disaster Recovery Plan Development Guide (17 pages)

Sub-Section: Emergency Mode Operation Plan

  • Dept. Business Resumption Plan Template (16 pages)
  • Emergency Operation Plan (18 pages)
  • Emergency Mode Operation Planning Standards (38 pages)
  • Emergency Mode Operations Plan Development Guide (11 pages) Sub Section: Testing And Revision Plan
  • Testing and Revision Program including following sub-documents (18 pages)
  • Business Unit Test Plan (16 pages)
  • Business Unit Test Plan Development Guide (10 pages)
  • Technology Test Plan (18 pages)
  • Technology Test Plan Development Guide (10 pages)
  • Test Schedule (2 pages)
  • Business Unit Plan Audit Checklist (6 pages)
  • Application Plan Audit Checklist (7 pages)
  • Database Plan Audit Checklist (6 pages)
  • Disaster Recovery Audit Checklist (6 pages)
  • Network Plan Audit Checklist (6 pages)
  • Server Plan Audit Checklist (6 pages)
  • Telecom Plan Audit Checklist (6 pages)
  • Audit Notification Memo (1 page)
  • Plan Audit Final Report Template (1 page)
  • Test Notification Memo (1 page)
  • Type of Tests (1 page) Sub Section: Sample Documents
  • Example of Completed Data Backup Plan (18 pages)
  • Example of Completed Disaster Recovery Plan (38 pages)
  • Example of Completed Application Recovery Plan (23 pages)
  • Example of Completed Emergency Mode Op Plan including following sub documents:
  • Accounting EMOP (42 pages)
  • BIOMED EMOP (37 pages)
  • Corporate Communications EMOP (38 pages)
  • Emergency Services EMOP (37 pages)
  • Facilities & Security EMOP (38 pages)
  • Human Resources EMOP (38 pages)
  • Laboratory EMOP (38 pages)
  • Materials Management EMOP (38 pages)
  • Pharmacy EMOP (37 pages)
  • Surgery EMOP (36 pages)
  • Example Business Unit Test Plan (14 pages)
  • Example Technology Unit Test Plan (16 pages)
  • Example Test Schedule (2 pages)
  • Example Audit Notification Memo (1 page)
  • Example Business Plan Audit Checklist (6 pages)
  • Example Final Audit Report (2 pages)
  • Example Audit Follow-Up Memo (1 page)
  • Example Test Notification Memo (2 pages)

business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

View HIPAA Template’s License

RELATED PRODUCT: HIPAA Security Policies templates RELATED PRODUCT: HIPAA Disaster Plan templates

The templates are available in our online HIPAA store for purchase. All the templates come in Microsoft Word/excel files so you can add, change and delete the content as required to complete your HIPAA disaster recovery and business continuity plan.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or call on (515) 865-4591.

HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan – A Comprehensive Guide

Jun 14, 2023.

Every organization should be able to recover quickly from any disaster that stops day-to-day operations. It goes without saying that without a recovery plan in place to handle disasters, organizations not only lose sensitive data but also cause irreparable reputational damage.

The same applies to the healthcare industry. To ensure moderation and consistency, HIPAA has regulated a disaster recovery plan for all eligible entities.  As per HIPAA, there must be processes in place to restore assets and safeguard sensitive healthcare information in case of any disaster.

In short, a well-documented HIPAA disaster recovery plan should be present to ensure business continuity and minimize downtime in responding to security incidents. In this blog guide, we will elaborate on the requirements and implementation of a solid HIPAA disaster recovery plan.

What is HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan?

A HIPAA disaster recovery plan (HIPAA DRP) is an organized way that guides businesses to take specific actions and follow processes to restore assets to their original state and secure sensitive healthcare data in case of disaster.

The administrative safeguard provision of the HIPAA’s Security Rule requires businesses to implement contingency plans. As a part of that, they must develop a HIPAA disaster recovery plan to minimize damage if a disaster occurs.

What are HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan Requirements?

Under HIPAA contingency planning, there are five requirements for creating and implementing a disaster recovery plan. These five elements include:

  • Data Backup Plan (Required) : The data backup plan specifies that organizations should establish and implement processes to retrieve exact copies of electronically protected health information (ePHI) to ensure no loss of sensitive data.
  • Disaster Recovery Plan (Required) : The disaster recovery plan specifies that organizations should establish and implement procedures to restore any loss of ePHI to its original state.
  • Emergency Mode Operation Plan (Required) : The emergency mode operation plan specifies that organizations should establish and implement procedures to maintain the operation of critical business functions in case of a disaster for safeguarding ePHI.
  • Testing & Revision Procedures (Addressable) : Under this, HIPAA specifies that organizations must implement procedures for periodic testing and revision of contingency plans to boost their effectiveness.
  • Application & Data Criticality Analysis (Addressable) : The final implementation requirement specifies that organizations should assess and identify the most critical assets for patient care and business needs for prioritizing them for data backup, disaster recovery, and/or emergency operation plans. This is an important requirement as it helps in determining which applications/information systems need to be restored first or made available in an emergency all the time.

How to Implement HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan?

Now that we understand the five basic HIPAA disaster recovery plan requirements let’s look at the steps organizations follow to implement the plan in action:

1. Establish Roles & Responsibilities

Within your internal team, you need to assign roles and responsibilities to everyone on staff. Ensure that an individual or management group will be responsible for overseeing the implementation and maintenance of the disaster recovery plan.

2. Inventory HIPAA Critical Assets

A complete asset inventory is a must for effective disaster recovery planning. You need to list and document all the assets to streamline the process.

Firstly, you should identify the asset types, such as cloud-based assets, endpoints, etc. Then, you need to document the assets that are relevant to the scope of HIPAA requirements .

3. Create Disaster Recovery Processes & Procedures

This is the most crucial step while implementing a HIPAA disaster recovery plan. This is the part of the document that organizations follow to manage a disaster.

For different disaster scenarios, align the processes and procedures with the HIPAA disaster recovery requirements we discussed above. You will be addressing the three major requirements here.

These processes include informing the employees about the disaster, notifying the IT and security teams, initiating data backup plans, monitoring the threat, etc.

4. Determine the Priority of Systems for the Restoration Process

While a disaster like a system downtime due to technical issues can be easily managed and resolved quickly, others will be more challenging, and your whole infrastructure might be shut down.

To resume crucial business activities, you need to identify and prioritize the systems and applications that need to be restored as quickly as possible.

5. Test HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan & Train Employees

You need to set up regular testing procedures for your developed disaster recovery processes. This can be done by conducting drills to check the effectiveness of your plan and to see how the employees handle their assigned roles and responsibilities.

You can improvise and revise your strategy based on this. This also allows you to provide training to the employees so that they can understand how to respond in case of disasters.

HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan Example

For example, we will discuss the HIPAA disaster plan to recover from a malware threat. Below are the basic steps for the same.

  • Implement security systems such as intrusion detection systems and/or antivirus software to detect the malware. Once detected, isolate the affected systems and applications to prevent the malware from affecting other systems.
  • Inform the incident response team about the threat, as they will identify the nature/severity of the threat and how the malware got inside the system.
  • To remove the malware, disconnect the affected systems and then use malware removal tools to scan and clean it.
  • Next, restore the affected systems using system backups to avoid data loss. Ensure that you prioritize critical systems first in the system recovery phase.
  • Post malware removal and system recovery, implement security patches to address the vulnerabilities that threat actors exploited for the malware attack. Conduct vulnerability assessment and penetration testing to identify and address any other threats.
  • Notify stakeholders about the malware threat and document everything you did to manage and mitigate the disaster. If applicable, report the incident to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to avoid HIPAA violations .

Benefits of HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan

The most important benefit of having a HIPAA disaster recovery plan is maintaining continuous compliance with HIPAA regulations. Some more benefits of the same are:

  • Security of ePHI : An effective HIPAA disaster recovery plan ensures the integrity and availability of patients’ sensitive information.
  • Continuation of Business Operations : For uninterrupted healthcare services in case of a disaster, it is crucial to have a disaster recovery plan to keep crucial applications and systems up and running.
  • Systematic Recovery Process : Having a documented disaster recovery plan helps you manage and mitigate the risks organizationally. A systematic approach takes the critical decision-making process off the table during a crisis.
  • Avoid Penalties & Fines : The recovery plan helps you comply with HIPAA requirements. By having an effective plan, you can better manage risks, which helps you avoid hefty fines and penalties for non-compliance .
  • Increased Trust and Reputation : A comprehensive HIPAA disaster recovery plan helps you demonstrate that patients’ privacy and data security is your top priority. This increases patients’ trust and reflects a positive reputation in the industry.

Wrapping Up

A HIPAA disaster recovery plan is a crucial step in maintaining compliance with HIPAA. It enables you to gear up with processes and procedures to respond effectively to possible disaster scenarios.

HIPAA requirements are really comprehensive, and getting everything in order is often a daunting task for organizations. So, what’s the solution to becoming HIPAA compliant expeditiously?

You can easily automate HIPAA compliance processes using Sprinto – a smart compliance automation platform. You also get access to HIPAA training modules and support to stay ahead of all your HIPAA compliance requirements. Get in touch with our HIPAA experts to learn more.

Is it mandatory for organizations to implement a HIPAA disaster recovery plan?

Yes, it is mandatory under HIPAA’s Security Rule to implement contingency plans. The HIPAA disaster recovery plan is part of the contingency plans, and organizations should implement it.

Is there a penalty/fine for not implementing a HIPAA disaster recovery plan?

Yes, there are financial penalties for HIPAA violations. During the violation audit, if you are found without a HIPAA disaster recovery plan, you will be fined as per the severity of the violation.

Is the HIPAA disaster recovery plan the same for all disasters/security threats?

Yes, the basic steps and recovery goals for any disaster will be the same in your HIPAA disaster recovery plan. However, the recovery processes will vary from one disaster to another.

Gowsika is an avid reader and storyteller who untangles the knotty world of compliance and cybersecurity with a dash of charming wit! While she’s not decoding cryptic compliance jargon, she’s oceanside, melody in ears, pondering life’s big (and small) questions. Your guide through cyber jungles, with a serene soul and a sharp pen!

Grow fearless, evolve into a top 1% ciso, strategy, tools, and tactics to help you become a better security leader, you may also like, soc 2 compliance checklist: a detailed guide for 2023, iso 27001 requirements – a comprehensive list, a complete guide to gdpr certification, hipaa compliance checklist (all you need to know in 2023), found this interesting share it with your friends.

  • Share on Facebook
  • Email this Page
  • Share on LinkedIn

Get a wingman for your next audit.

Schedule a personalized demo and scale business, here’s what to read next…., 10 best compliance management software in 2024, 10 best compliance software: feature, pro, and con comparison, 10 gdpr requirements you must know in 2024, sprinto: your growth superpower.

Use Sprinto to centralize security compliance management – so nothing gets in the way of your moving up and winning big.

An illustration of a woman sitting at her computer trying to deflect a cyber attack

Published: 21 December 2023 Contributors: Mesh Flinders, Ian Smalley

Business continuity disaster recovery (BCDR) refers to a process that helps organizations return to normal business operations in the event of a disaster. While the terms business continuity and  disaster recovery  are closely related, they describe two subtly different approaches to crisis management that businesses can take.

As data loss prevention and downtime become more and more expensive, many organizations are upping their investment in emergency management. In 2023, companies worldwide are poised to spend USD 219 billion on cybersecurity and solutions, a 12% increase from last year  according to a recent report by the International Data Corporation (IDC)  (link resides outside ibm.com).

What is a disaster recovery plan?

A  disaster recovery plan (DRP)  is a contingency plan for how an enterprise will recover from an unexpected event. Alongside business continuity plans (BCPs), DR plans help businesses navigate different disaster scenarios, such as massive outages, natural disasters,  ransomware  and  malware  attacks, and many others.

What is a business continuity plan?

Like DRPs, business continuity plans (BCPs) play a critical role in disaster recovery, helping organizations return to normal business functions in the event of a disaster. Where a DRP focusses specifically on IT systems, business continuity management focusses more broadly on various aspects of preparedness.

Be better prepared for breaches by understanding their causes and the factors that increase or reduce costs. Explore the comprehensive findings from the Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023.

Subscribe to the IBM newsletter

Most organizations divide BCDR planning into two separate processes: business continuity and disaster recovery. This is an effective approach because while the two processes share many steps, there are also key differences in how the plans are built, implemented and tested.

The primary difference is that BCPs tend to be proactive, while DRPs tend to be more reactive. It’s good to keep this in mind when building the two parts of your BCDR plan because it governs how the two processes relate to each other. A strong business continuity strategy focuses on processes, procedures and roles that are critical to business operations before, during and immediately following a disaster. DR planning is more geared towards reacting to an incident and taking appropriate actions to recover from it. 

Both processes depend heavily on two critical components, recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO):

  • Recovery time objective (RTO):  RTO refers to the amount of time it takes to restore business processes after an unplanned incident. Establishing a reasonable RTO is one of the first things businesses need do when they’re creating their DRP. 
  • Recovery point objective (RPO):  Your business’ RPO is the amount of data it can afford to lose in a disaster and still recover. Since data protection is a core capability of many modern enterprises, some constantly copy data to a remote  data center  to ensure continuity in case of a massive breach. Others set a tolerable RPO of a few minutes (or even hours) for business data to be recovered from a backup system and know they will be able to recover from whatever was lost during that time.

1.    Conduct business impact analysis (BIA)

To build an effective BCP, you’ll first need to understand the various risks your organization faces. Business impact analysis (BIA) plays a crucial role in risk management and business resilience. BIA is the process of identifying and evaluating the potential impact of a disaster on normal operations. Strong BIA includes an overview of all potential existing threats and vulnerabilities—internal and external—as well as detailed plans for mitigation. Additionally, the BIA must identify the likelihood of an event occurring so the organization can prioritize accordingly.

2.    Design responses

Once your BIA is complete, the next step in building your BCP is planning effective responses to each of the threats you’ve identified. Different threats will naturally require different disaster recovery strategies, so each of your responses should have a detailed plan for how the organization will spot a specific threat and address it.

3.    Identify key roles and responsibilities

This step dictates how key members of your team will respond when facing a crisis or disruptive event. It documents expectations for each team member as well as the resources required for them to fulfill their roles. This is a good part of the process to consider how individuals will communicate in the event of an incident. Some threats will shut down key networks—such as cellular or internet connectivity—so it’s important to have fallback methods of communication your employees can rely on.

4.    Test and update your plan

To be actionable, you need to constantly practice and refine your BCDR plan. Constant testing and training of employees will lead to a seamless deployment when an actual disaster strikes. Rehearse realistic scenarios like cyberattacks, fires, floods, human error, massive outages and other relevant threats so team members can build confidence in their roles and responsibilities.

Like BCPs, DRPs require business impact analysis (BIA)—the outlining of roles and responsibilities and constant testing and refinement. But because DRPs are more reactive in nature, there is more of a focus on risk analysis and  data backup and recovery . Steps 2 and 3 of DRP development, performing risk analysis (RA) and creating an asset inventory are not part of the BCP development process at all. 

Here's a widely used five-step process for creating a DRP:

1.    Conduct business impact analysis

Like in your BCP process, start by assessing each threat your company could face and what its ramifications might be. Consider how potential threats might impact daily operations, regular communication channels and worker safety. Additional considerations for a strong BIA include loss of revenue, cost of downtime, cost of reputational repair (public relations), loss of customers and investors (short and long term) and any incurred penalties from compliance violations.

2.    Analyze risks

DRPs typically require more careful risk assessment than BCPs since their role is to focus on recovery efforts from a potential disaster. During the risk analysis (RA) portion of planning, consider a risk’s likelihood and potential impact on your business.

3.    Create an asset inventory

To create an effective DRP, you must know exactly what your enterprise owns, its purpose/function and its condition. Doing regular asset inventory helps identify hardware, software, IT infrastructure and anything else your organization might own that is crucial to your business operations. Once you’ve identified your assets, you can group them into three categories— critical, important  and  unimportant:

  • Critical:  Only label assets as critical if they are required for normal business operations.
  • Important:  Give this label to assets that are used at least once a day and, if disrupted, would have an impact on business operations (but not shut them down entirely).
  • Unimportant:  These are assets your business uses infrequently that are not essential for normal business operations.

4.    Establish roles and responsibilities

Just like in your BCP development, you’ll need to clearly outline responsibilities and ensure team members have what they need to perform their required duties. Without this crucial step, no one will know how to act during a disaster. Here are some roles and responsibilities to consider when building your DRP:

  • Incident reporter:  Someone who maintains contact information for relevant parties and communicates with business leaders and stakeholders when disruptive events occur.
  • DRP supervisor:  The DRP supervisor ensures team members perform the tasks they’ve been assigned during an incident. 
  • Asset manager:  Someone whose job it is to secure and protect critical assets when a disaster strikes. 
  • Third-party liaison:  The person who coordinates with any third-party vendors or service providers you’ve hired as part of your DRP and updates stakeholders accordingly on how the DRP is going.

5.    Test and refine

Like your BCP, your DRP requires constant practice and refinement to be effective. Practice it regularly and update it according to any meaningful changes that need to be made. For example, if your company acquires a new asset after your DRP has been formed, you’ll need to incorporate it into your plan to ensure it's protected going forward.

When it comes to BCDR planning, every business is going to have its own unique set of needs. Here are a few examples of plans that have proven effective for companies of differing sizes and industries:

  • Crisis management plan:  A crisis management plan, also known as an incident management plan, is a detailed plan for managing a specific incident. It provides detailed instructions on how your organization will respond to a specific kind of crisis, such as a power outage, cyberattack or natural disaster.
  • Communications plan:  A communications plan outlines how your organization will handle public relations (PR) in the event of a disaster. Business leaders typically coordinate with communications specialists to formulate communications plans that complement any crisis management activities needed to keep business operations going during an unplanned incident.
  • Data center recovery plan : A data center recovery plan focuses on the security of a data center facility and its ability to get back up and running after an unplanned incident. Some common threats to data storage include overstretched personnel that can result in human error, cyberattacks, power outages and difficulty following compliance requirements. 
  • Network recovery plan:  Network recovery plans help organizations recover from an interruption of network services, including internet access, cellular data, local area networks (LAN) and wide area networks (WAN). Given the importance of many networked services to business operations, network recovery plans must clearly outline the steps, roles and responsibilities needed to restore services quickly and effectively when a network has been compromised.
  • Virtualized recovery plan:  A virtualized recovery plan  relies on virtual machine (VM) instances that can be ready to operate within a couple of minutes of an interruption. Virtual machines are representations, or emulations, of physical computers that provide critical application recovery through high availability (HA), or the ability of a system to operate continuously without failing.

BCDR planning helps organizations better understand the threats they face and better prepare to face them. Enterprises that don’t undertake BCDR planning face a variety of risks, including data loss, downtime, financial penalties and reputational damage. Effective BCDR planning helps ensure business continuity and the prompt restoration of services in the event of a business disruption. Here are some of the benefits companies with strong BCDR planning enjoy:

When an unplanned incident disrupts business as usual, it can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Additionally, high-profile cyberattacks frequently attract unwanted attention in the press and can result in loss of confidence in both customers and investors. BCDR plans increase an organization’s ability get back up and running swiftly and smoothly after an unplanned incident.

According to  IBM’s recent Cost of Data Breach Report , the average cost of a data breach in 2023 was USD 4.45 million, a 15% increase over the last 3 years. Enterprises with strong BCDR can reduce those costs by helping maintain business continuity throughout an incident and speeding recovery afterwards. Another opportunity for cost-savings with strong BCDR is in cyber insurance. Many insurers simply won’t ensure organizations that don’t have a strong BCDR plan in place.

Data breaches incur hefty fines when private customer information is compromised. Businesses that operate in heavily regulated sectors like healthcare and personal finance face especially costly penalties. Since these penalties are often tied to the duration and severity of a breach, maintaining business continuity and shortening response and recovery lifecycles is critical to keeping financial penalties low.

Even a minor outage can put you at a competitive disadvantage. Protect your data with a cloud disaster recovery plan. 

Employ a highly durable, scalable, and security-rich destination for backing up your data.

Expand capacity and consolidate data center infrastructure onto an automated and centrally managed software-defined data center with IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions.

Learn about what factors come into play when deciding whether to invest in and manage your on-premises Disaster Recovery (DR) solutions or use Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) providers.

Learn about technologies and practices for making periodic copies of data and applications, that enable your business to recover in case of a power outage, cyberattack, human error, disaster, or some other unplanned event.

Discover critical similarities and differences between disaster recovery and backup, as well as how these solutions can help you solve your business' most important problems.

Learn about IBM's plans and processes tot help sustain its business by assessing and preparing for potential disasters.

Find out how Zerto helps clients access robust disaster recovery and data protection capabilities while leveraging the agility and flexibility of IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions shared in a single-click deployment.

Learn about immutable storage, a kind of storage protocol that protects stored data by preventing any changes or alterations for either a set or indefinite amount of time.

The demand for increasingly scalable, capable, and affordable backup and recovery solutions has never been greater. Talk to an IBM representative about how IBM Cloud Solutions can help support your priorities and budget.

More From Forbes

How to ensure business continuity in the face of internet disruptions.

  • Share to Facebook
  • Share to Twitter
  • Share to Linkedin

Ryan is the President and Chief Operations Officer of GeoLinks , a leading Internet and Digital Voice Provider.

Businesses that want to remain competitive need to proactively plan for unforeseen circumstances that could potentially hinder business continuity, such as internet disruptions. When your internet connection goes down, it not only disrupts your communication channels internally but also cuts you off from vital external stakeholders such as suppliers, customers, distributors and sales partners. Additionally, the reliance on cloud applications and the potential loss of revenue further highlights the urgency for businesses to prioritize measures that ensure uninterrupted operations in the face of internet disruptions.

Throughout my career in telecommunications, I've observed that strategic technology investments are vital to guarantee seamless business operations. Rather than adopting a passive stance, business leaders should actively seek out and invest in innovative strategies and solutions that safeguard business continuity.

Below are three key things businesses should consider to ensure business continuity in 2024.

1. Network Redundancy

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the necessity for flexible working options and forced many businesses to transition into remote models. Even after the pandemic, a significant percentage of companies retain a remote work option. According to Buffer, 64% of companies were fully remote in 2023 and this trend will likely continue, with a prediction that 32.6 million Americans will work remotely by 2025. Network redundancy, the process of data flowing seamlessly when a primary network component or link fails, becomes critical as businesses rely heavily on consistent and stable internet connectivity for both in-office and remote work setups, making it important to maintain business continuity.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of September 2023

Best 5% interest savings accounts of september 2023.

Having internet failover—a backup internet connection that creates redundancy—in place helps safeguard your business from the vulnerabilities of single-connection failure. Technologies like software-defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) can easily establish and manage internet failover protection for a single-branch or multi-branch operation. At GeoLinks, for example, we maintain multiple internet paths and diverse connectivity options to guarantee 100% uptime for our business clients and team.

Business leaders should diversify technological investments, including a dedicated fixed wireless circuit, a fiber connection, a 5G hotspot, or other alternatives to mitigate risks and avoid dependency on a single solution.

2. Disaster Recovery Plan

In light of the recent outage that left businesses in south Dallas without internet, the importance of having a disaster recovery plan for internet disruptions becomes even more evident. According to a LogicMonitor study, 96% of organizations experience an outage in a 3-year period, while 95% experienced at least one brownout, defined as "an occasion when less electric power than usual is supplied to an area."

Given that internet connectivity is critical for modern businesses, a well-structured disaster recovery plan is crucial for minimizing the impact on business continuity during unforeseen events, such as bad weather, a cyberattack or system failures. This plan should outline how to quickly restore internet connectivity and minimize the impact of internet disruptions.

To develop an effective plan, businesses should start by conducting a thorough assessment of their current network infrastructure. Identifying potential vulnerabilities and single points of failure is key to shoring up defenses against unexpected outages. Gathering feedback from managers and employees is equally important, as their insights can reveal overlooked aspects and areas that may not have been fully addressed in the initial planning stages.

Integrating diverse technologies, like long-term evolution (LTE), can help improve a disaster recovery plan. LTE is a high-speed wireless communication standard that quickly fills the gap when the primary connection is disrupted. Well-designed networks utilize diverse technologies. Leveraging these technological resources helps to maintain productivity, guarantee smooth communication with stakeholders and safeguard revenue streams.

3. Unified Communications

As technology continues to evolve, the importance of adapting and incorporating these advancements for business continuity increases. Unified communications (UC), which integrates different communication tools into a single system, helps with the modern demand for on-the-go business connectivity.

One key element of unified communications is the incorporation of digital voice technologies. Such technologies allow businesses to make and receive calls via high-speed broadband internet connections, replacing the need for traditional phone lines. Consequently, businesses can maintain seamless communication regardless of location.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be further leveraged for business continuity, with a 2022 Deloitte survey revealing that 76% of respondents plan to increase investments in AI to gain more operational benefits. In terms of business continuity, AI enables automated customer service outside regular business hours. Incorporating tools like digital voice and AI ensures businesses can operate more smoothly and maintain continuity.

Maintaining business continuity requires planning and investment.

As business leaders, it’s important to recognize that no company is exempt from unexpected disruptions. By investing in network redundancy, establishing disaster recovery plans and embracing technology advancements like UC and AI, businesses can optimize operational efficiency, revenue and long-term success.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?

Ryan Adams

  • Editorial Standards
  • Reprints & Permissions

How to Align Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Cybersecurity

http://teekid.com/istockphoto/banner/banner3.jpg

http://teekid.com/istockphoto/banner/banner3.jpg

Business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR)—cybersecurity’s neglected middle children. BCDR gets no respect. It’s delegated down or relegated out. It’s practically a rite of passage for a junior security analyst to take on BCDR documentation.   

Author: J. Wolfgang Goerlich is an Advisory CISO for Duo Security.

So, you can imagine our surprise when disaster recovery was identified as the fourth strongest contributor to building a successful cybersecurity program. The  Security Outcomes Study, Volume 2 , found that BCDR showed significant correlations with positive outcomes, including:  

  • Gaining the confidence of executive leadership  
  • Obtaining peer support and buy-in for security  
  • Keeping up with the business  
  • Identifying and managing top risks  
  • Minimizing unplanned work and wasted effort  

These findings left us puzzled. Although some of us who’ve long supported continuity and recovery cheered, we had questions. What makes BCDR effective? When does the program start showing results? Is it better to start bottom-up or go top-down?  

These questions (and more) have been answered in our newly published  Security Outcomes Study . And here, in Part 5 of  our blog series , I’ll pull out some of the report’s most salient findings.

But the bottom line is this: Resiliency is finally bringing BCDR back into vogue.

Scope and Scale of BCDR

Let’s dig deeper. What needs to be resilient?   

A common line of thinking, stretching back to the days of recovering physical equipment in hot sites and cold sites, was that BCDR should focus only on the most critical systems. We churn our own butter. We walk uphill both ways to school. We recover top-tier assets. And guess what? We like it!  

Keeping that in mind, look at the chart below. Here, we compare how many of the systems are recoverable to how well organizations are doing at achieving the continuity objective. Contrary to popular wisdom, the report finds, “ There’s virtually no improvement in the probability of achieving this outcome until BCDR capabilities cover at least 80% of critical systems.”  

This target scope is especially concerning for organizations with legacy use cases and edge cases.  

A CISO recently told me that his infrastructure was like an ultimate brownie pan: all edges. I told him he’s not alone. The Security Outcomes Study found that  “ nearly 40% of in-use security technologies were considered outdated.”   

In other words, the struggle is real.  

Test That BCDR Plan

Any security capability is only as strong as it is when exercised. So, say we get the scope right. The very next consideration should be how well we’re executing our plans.  

The following chart hits this home by comparing the number of recovery activities performed by the success at achieving continuity. Five activities per month might seem high, but this figure includes walking through the plan, holding tabletop exercises, and doing live, parallel, and production testing. Use these five types of exercises to verify your plan and provide training.   

The report also found that  “organizations that regularly engaged in all five types of disaster recovery testing were almost 2.5 times more likely to successfully maintain business continuity than those who did none.”

And an additional way to keep the team sharp? Technical validation. Or, by another name,  chaos engineering .

Some say chaos engineering is just the latest fad. But the numbers suggest otherwise. Here’s what the study found:  “Organizations that make chaos engineering standard practice are twice as likely to achieve high levels of success for this outcome than organizations that don’t.”

Top-down or Bottom-up?

So, we need a thorough scope. We need a strong plan. We need ample testing and validation. Sounds good, right? But where do we begin?

I believe that wherever a person sits in an organization, they can make a positive change for security. While BCDR has often been delegated down to junior professionals, that doesn’t mean these individuals haven’t done good work.

In fact, the report found that BCDR ownership is distributed evenly between the CIO, the CISO, and the non-technical members of the C-Suite. So, not only is bottom-up possible, it’s practically the norm.

However, here is the kicker. According to our report,  businesses with “board-level oversight of BCDR are most likely (11% above average) to report having strong programs.”

Consider the strong outcomes we observed: gaining the confidence and support of executive leadership and peers, keeping up with the business, and working on the top risks to the organization. Board-level visibility is crucial.

So, what’s the answer? Top-down or bottom-up? How about top-down AND bottom-up?

“Operations residing within cybersecurity or specialized business continuity teams tend to report the best performance. Board-level visibility seems to be the rising tide that lifts all boats.”

BCDR: What Cisco Recommends

With resiliency being a top priority in response to ongoing attacks and widespread outages in cloud services, establishing effective BCDR and maturing its capabilities should be a key component of 2022 roadmaps. How should you plot that roadmap?

Based on the  Security Outcomes Study , we suggest that security teams take these four steps:

  • Elevate BCDR to a board-level conversation : Getting top-down support can move any initiative further, faster. Beyond that, placing continuity within the context of the organization’s mission and business-level objectives ensures the capability is focusing on the right systems and the right risks.
  • Expand the BCDR scope : Starting with top-tier systems allows us to build our processes and train our people. But plan to expand that scope to at least 80% of those systems. Use a phased approach to demonstrate ongoing progress and build on early successes.
  • Exercise, exercise, and exercise again : Execute at least five recovery activities every month, evaluating and testing various parts of the plan. Remember that continuity and recovery capabilities are only as strong as they are exercised.
  • Integrate BCDR with broader security functions : The prioritization and risk-ranking of resources should be shared with other risk management functions. Similarly, tightly integrated asset management and threat management ensures all teams are working off the same playbook.

BCDR is a sleeper capability that delivers surprisingly strong outcomes. Tactically, one should use BCDR to improve resiliency in IT systems. Strategically, one should find ways to drive other programs through the viewpoint of what truly matters to the business.

Read more from the  Cisco Security Outcomes Report blog series . And, most importantly, check out the  Security Outcomes Study, Volume 2 , to explore all of our newest research, in full!

Author Wolfgang Goerlich is an advisory CISO at Duo Security , part of Cisco Systems.   Read more Cisco guest blogs  here . Regularly contributed guest blogs are part of  ChannelE2E’s sponsorship program .

Sponsored by Cisco Systems

Channel Brief: NinjaOne, TeamLogic IT, Blue Alliance, More

Jessica C. Davis February 15, 2024

Today's MSP market updates also include a number of managed services acquisitions.

business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

Channel Brief: Evergreen, Kraft Enterprise Systems, More

Jessica C. Davis February 14, 2024

Today's MSP market news also involves the GTDC, Crowdstrike, D3 Security, Ignition Technology, more.

business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

Channel Brief: Veeam, Pax8, Upstack, More

Jessica C. Davis February 13, 2024

Today's MSP market update also includes a new director for Halcyon and Alcion's MSP program launch.

Examine the use of a continuity plan in disaster planning and...

Examine the use of a continuity plan in disaster planning and recovery. Cite all resources used. 

Include responses to the following questions:

What is a continuity plan? Why is it important in health care informatics?

What is disaster recovery? What are the implications of not preparing for a disaster in health care?

Explain each step of developing a continuity plan for health care informatics.

How is a continuity plan implemented in health care?

Answer & Explanation

Continuity Plan in Disaster Planning and Recovery in Healthcare Informatics In the realm of healthcare informatics, where the reliance on digital systems is paramount, the development and implementation of a continuity plan are critical components of disaster planning and recovery (Zare, et al 2020). A continuity plan ensures that essential functions and services can continue or be rapidly restored in the event of a disruption, such as a natural disaster, cyberattack, or system failure. Let's delve into the various aspects of continuity planning in healthcare informatics, its importance, implications, steps in development, and implementation.  

1. What is a Continuity Plan and Its Importance in Health Care Informatics? A continuity plan is a proactive strategy designed to ensure that essential operations can continue or resume swiftly in the face of disruptions or disasters (Zare, et al 2020). In healthcare informatics, where patient data, clinical workflows, and communication systems heavily rely on digital infrastructure, the significance of continuity planning cannot be overstated. Importance: 1. Patient Care Continuity: Continuity plans in healthcare informatics ensure uninterrupted access to patient records, treatment plans, and communication channels among healthcare professionals, thereby safeguarding patient care even during crisis situations. 2. Data Integrity and Security: Healthcare systems store vast amounts of sensitive patient data. A continuity plan includes measures to maintain data integrity and security, preventing unauthorized access, loss, or corruption of critical information. 3. Regulatory Compliance: Compliance with healthcare regulations, such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), requires organizations to have contingency plans in place to protect patient information. A continuity plan helps meet these regulatory requirements. 4. Operational Resilience: By identifying potential risks and vulnerabilities, a continuity plan enables healthcare organizations to build resilience and adaptability, ensuring continued operations despite adverse circumstances. 5. Reputation Management: Swift recovery from disruptions minimizes downtime and mitigates reputational damage, instilling confidence in patients, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies.  

2. Disaster Recovery and Implications of Not Preparing for a Disaster in Health Care: Disaster Recovery: Disaster recovery refers to the process of restoring essential services and infrastructure after a disruptive event. In healthcare, disaster recovery encompasses efforts to recover IT systems, clinical workflows, patient data, and communication channels to ensure the resumption of critical operations.  

Implications of Not Preparing for a Disaster: 1. Patient Safety Compromised: Without a disaster recovery plan, patient care may be severely compromised due to the unavailability of critical medical records, treatment plans, and communication channels among healthcare professionals (Goniewicz &Goniewicz, 2020). 2. Data Breaches and Loss: Failure to prepare for disasters increases the risk of data breaches, loss, or corruption, jeopardizing patient confidentiality and integrity of medical records. 3. Operational Disruption: A lack of preparedness can lead to prolonged downtime, disrupting clinical workflows, appointment scheduling, medication management, and other essential healthcare services. 4. Financial Losses: The financial implications of not preparing for disasters in healthcare can be significant, including revenue loss due to interrupted services, regulatory fines for non-compliance, and costs associated with data recovery and system restoration. 5. Legal and Regulatory Consequences: Healthcare organizations may face legal liabilities and regulatory penalties for failing to protect patient information and maintain continuity of care during emergencies (Goniewicz &Goniewicz, 2020)..  

3. Steps in Developing a Continuity Plan for Health Care Informatics: Step 1: Risk Assessment and Business Impact Analysis (BIA): Identify potential risks and threats to healthcare informatics systems, such as natural disasters, cyberattacks, equipment failures, and human errors. Conduct a BIA to assess the potential impact of these risks on critical operations, patient care, and financial sustainability. Step 2: Develop a Continuity Planning Team: Form a multidisciplinary team comprising IT professionals, healthcare administrators, clinicians, security experts, and other stakeholders responsible for developing and implementing the continuity plan. Step 3: Establish Priorities and Objectives: Define the priorities and objectives of the continuity plan, considering factors such as patient safety, data security, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience. Step 4: Develop Response and Recovery Strategies: Identify response and recovery strategies tailored to different types of disruptions, including data backup and recovery procedures, alternative communication channels, temporary facilities, and collaboration with external partners. Step 5: Documentation and Training: Document the continuity plan, including procedures, roles and responsibilities, contact information, and escalation protocols (Zare, et al 2020). Provide training to staff members on their roles and responsibilities during a crisis and conduct regular drills and exercises to test the plan's effectiveness. Step 6: Continuous Monitoring and Improvement: Continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the continuity plan, incorporating lessons learned from drills, incidents, and feedback from stakeholders. Update the plan regularly to address emerging threats, changes in technology, and organizational requirements.  

4. Implementation of a Continuity Plan in Health Care: 1. Infrastructure and Technology: Implement robust IT infrastructure and technologies to support the continuity plan, including data backup and recovery systems, redundant network connectivity, cybersecurity measures, and cloud-based solutions for remote access (Homer, et al.2019). 2. Communication and Collaboration: Establish communication protocols and channels for disseminating information, instructions, and updates to staff, patients, and external stakeholders during a crisis. Foster collaboration with local emergency response agencies, healthcare partners, and community organizations to coordinate response efforts. 3. Training and Awareness: Provide ongoing training and awareness programs to educate staff members about the continuity plan, their roles and responsibilities, emergency procedures, and best practices for safeguarding patient data and ensuring operational resilience. 4. Regular Testing and Exercises: Conduct regular testing and exercises to evaluate the effectiveness of the continuity plan and identify areas for improvement(Homer, et al.2019). Simulate various disaster scenarios, such as cyberattacks, natural disasters, and system failures, to assess the organization's readiness and response capabilities. 5. Continuous Improvement: Continuously review and update the continuity plan based on lessons learned from testing, incidents, regulatory changes, and evolving threats. Engage stakeholders across the organization in the planning process to ensure alignment with business objectives and operational needs.  

In conclusion, a continuity plan is a cornerstone of disaster planning and recovery in healthcare informatics, ensuring the resilience and continuity of critical operations during emergencies. By following a structured approach to developing and implementing a continuity plan, healthcare organizations can mitigate risks, safeguard patient care, and maintain operational continuity in the face of adversity.

References Zare, H., Wang, P., Zare, M. J., Azadi, M., & Olsen, P. (2020). Business Continuity Plan and Risk Assessment Analysis in Case of a Cyber Attack Disaster in Healthcare Organizations. In 17th International conference on information technology-new generations (ITNG 2020) (pp. 137-144). Springer International Publishing. Goniewicz, K., & Goniewicz, M. (2020). Disaster preparedness and professional competence among healthcare providers: Pilot study results. Sustainability, 12(12), 4931. Homer, C., Brodie, P., Sandall, J., & Leap, N. (2019). Midwifery continuity of care. Elsevier Health Sciences.  

Answer well explained above 

Related Q&A

  • Q a researcher who has conducted a study evaluating the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) interventions to treat anxie... Answered 4d ago
  • Q Hello, please assist with your thoughts on this discussion. Thank you!   A) Based upon the information presented by the ... Answered over 90d ago
  • Q Ethical Dilemma: what is the ethical dilemma in this case scenario below? A 4‐year‐old in a hospital with dehydration an... Answered 27d ago
  • Q iNSTRUCTIONS: Review the Toy project of your classmates. In one main post, discuss two strengths and one area you would ... Answered over 90d ago
  • Q I need help finding answer for question 9 for my chicano class.. How did the average person's ability to buy stocks on m... Answered over 90d ago
  • Q A new restaurant is ready to open for business. It is estimated that the food cost (variable cost) will be 40% of sales,... Answered over 90d ago
  • Q In terms of the workplace, how does social class matter?     Is social class really an invisible difference or are there... Answered over 90d ago
  • Q Read the Book of Acts chapter one then use the following googleforum link to answer the following questions briefly.   •... Answered 14d ago
  • Q 1. In a data set of 84 with a sampling distribution of 6 which is normally distributed it is advisable to use analysis  ... Answered over 90d ago
  • Q 1. A three-month call option is the right to buy stock at $20. Currently the stock is selling for $22 and the call is se... Answered over 90d ago
  • Q Think broadly about the role of the South in the American Revolution. How did the Southern colonies operate before the R... Answered over 90d ago
  • Q  . 6.) Cytokinesis: Image labeled a. Description: 7.) End Product: Image labeled a. Description:. Cell Cycle Matching Ac... Answered 90d ago
  • Q Combine the two sentences using a transition word or phrase. Remember there are two pieces of punctuation in this senten... Answered over 90d ago
  • Q 1. Read the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in CITIZENS UNITED v. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION. You can find the official c... Answered over 90d ago
  • Q Write about 1. Assess Cabeza de Vaca's attitude towards the Indians he encountered. 2. Reading this excerpt, what intere... Answered over 90d ago
  • Q South District Hospital is a nonprofit organization that provides outpatient assistance to patients in the South Florida... Answered over 90d ago

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Strategies

As the head of IT operations for a rapidly expanding e-commerce startup, I'm tasked with ensuring our systems are resilient and prepared for any unforeseen challenges. As we prioritize our business continuity and disaster recovery efforts, I'm keen to gather insights from the community: How frequently do you review and update your business continuity plan and disaster recovery plan? When it comes to storing backups, where do you prefer to store them, and how do you guarantee data integrity and accessibility? What level of downtime for critical processes do you consider acceptable before it translates into unacceptable financial or reputational damage (RTO)? In the event of an outage, what level of data loss is deemed acceptable (RPO)? Could you share your approach to replication, particularly in terms of continuous data copying to a secondary location for expedited recovery?

User: Timetraveler Timetraveler

Brand Representative for Object First

Hi, and welcome to the Community!

As a part-time IT consultant, I am dealing with a variety of businesses with entirely different strategies, which is why I will answer the questions based on a company with the most strict strategies out of my entire portfolio.

  • How frequently do you review and update your business continuity plan and disaster recovery plan? 

A quarterly meeting with the IT team and top management is conducted to make sure all the processes regarding business continuity and DR are aligned.

  • When it comes to storing backups, where do you prefer to store them, and how do you guarantee data integrity and accessibility? 

On-premises (ransomware-protected, immutable, zero-trust), off-site (same as on-prem but different offices or ISP colocation), and public cloud are probably what everyone does nowadays. The retention period may vary but the number of copies is an absolute minimum I would say. Automated recovery check jobs and random manual checks.

  • What level of downtime for critical processes do you consider acceptable before it translates into unacceptable financial or reputational damage (RTO)? 

5 minutes for critical processes (retail) and 60 minutes for everything else.

  • In the event of an outage, what level of data loss is deemed acceptable (RPO)? 

1 hour for critical data (finances, customer data) and 1 day for everything else.

  • Could you share your approach to replication, particularly in terms of continuous data copying to a secondary location for expedited recovery?

Everything virtualized, hyper-converged approach within a single location (several hosts, clustering, real-time VM storage replication using Starwind, Storage Spaces Direct, or VMware vSAN depending on hypervisor, hardware, and requirements) plus offsite replication.

Author Adrian Yong

spicehead-885kw wrote: As the head of IT operations for a rapidly expanding e-commerce startup, I'm tasked with ensuring our systems are resilient and prepared for any unforeseen challenges. As we prioritize our business continuity and disaster recovery efforts, I'm keen to gather insights from the community: How frequently do you review and update your business continuity plan and disaster recovery plan? When it comes to storing backups, where do you prefer to store them, and how do you guarantee data integrity and accessibility? What level of downtime for critical processes do you consider acceptable before it translates into unacceptable financial or reputational damage (RTO)? In the event of an outage, what level of data loss is deemed acceptable (RPO)? Could you share your approach to replication, particularly in terms of continuous data copying to a secondary location for expedited recovery?

As a CIO and IT manager (we have 31 subsidiaries), I would say it really depends on the scale of your ecommerce startup and how far you need to scale to....

I have several org that are 100% on the cloud while some are like 70% on the cloud - leverage stateless SAAS offerings like AWS elastic beanstalk with auto-scaling and multi-Availability zone so that you literally can have 110% up time - leverage DB like AWS Aroura that can have up to 6 Availability zones so that DB and applications are almost never down & you do not have to worry about DB replication. AWS also provides Aroura backup services - Leverage on AWS EC2 instances for multi-AZ and autoscaling also

If you are managing most of your servers on-prem....then you really need to know what options for your secondary site, for some can be a 2nd building nearby whereas some would use co-location data centers instead of having server rooms. But the common factor is that all servers need to be VMs on either Hyper-v or VMware as these have the most supporting backup & replication software unless you are using some software defined storage that have replication built in. I would not mention about software defined hypervisors with HA & FT features as that can be a little overwhelming and overpriced. Commonly use Veeam Backup & replication 12.x to - backup VMs (hyper-v or VMware) using Veeam Reverse Incremental backup - use Veeam Backup Copy to copy Backup Data sets from NAS in one location to 2nd - use Veeam Backup & Replication to Replicate VMs using Backup data sets already residing on remote site NAS to remote site hosts * If you have Veeam VUL licenses or the older Veeam Enterprise licenses, you can use surebackup to test backup data sets and/or surereplica to test the replica https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backup/vsphere/recovery_verification_surereplica.html?ver=120 Opens a new window

If you need 110% up time, then you will need to look at - Network Load Balancing for web servers  - OS clustering for application servers - DB clustering for databases - at least 2 DCs per network - 2 or more file servers with FRS But these would needed to be supported with - redundant network switches - redundant routers (in HA mode) - UPS and/or power generators - redundant cooling systems - multiple hosts (so the above VMs can sit on different physical servers) - redundant Internet connection with security appliances * now you maybe able to see why AWS and/or SAAS may look like a more feasible option ?

I give simple example of having on-prem Exchange Server and you need it to be having 110% up time.....you need to have redundant setups in case anything within the building may fail. Then you may need to duplicate this setup (or at least 1/2) to the DR or secondary site. But if you have email on SAAS offerings like Exchange Online or G-suite, if they do go down, likely it is a global issue or at least a continental issue & all you have to pay is like $10 or $15 per user per month. The same idea can be applied to your web servers, payment gateways, application servers, ERP solution, Finance solutions, DB, etc

Author Martin Hepworth

Also remember BCP isnt an IT issue, this is a business problem

loss of assets and how you react to them and at what point loosing a building/warehouse etc becomes an issue is for the business to plan

Sure theres a n IT componment but its not everything.

Author F. E.

What most people oversee is the fact that there is no real "ransomware proof" solution or strategy available.

AFAIK all available solutions like immutable backup storage or more generation backups on different media all only reduce the impact, but are no solutions for a perfect protection for a serious attack.

All the backup manufactures will go up the fences for a statement like this. Let me explain what I mean.

The serious attack will be done in at least three or four steps. First, the attacker will try to penetrate your defences silently. For example, a malicious mail with some link that doesn't seem to do anything. In fact, it silently installs some Trojan or backdoor to your systems. If this is successful, it will do anything to remain undetected and starts collecting intel in your systems to get higher privileges and so on. After a while - let's say 6 months - the actual attack begins.

Then the attacker will actually use the intel collected and starts doing his ransomware stuff and probably will install another few backdoors with the newly gained higher privileges. 

Consider what this procedure means to your backups. If the attacker remains undetected until he starts his damaging work, you'll have no backups left which are not infected or not so old that the data in it is pretty useless. And it doesn't matter if they are stored on immutable storage or not - immutable only protects against the alteration of the backup files themselves, and not against what's inside your backups.

So what kind of defence will help beforehand? Not much really - since over 80% of successful attacks start with some kind of user action (clicking the famous link) it's essential to train your users - they are your primary defence line. Every cent invested in this field is a plus in the future. Get yourself a good hardware firewall solution with all the detection options your preferred manufacturer has to offer. This is your second line of defence, so don't be stingy here and invest some money. If it's not included in your firewalls, get some antivirus solution for your endpoints. This could be Microsoft Defender - if it's configured correctly by someone who knows what he is doing. This is the last line of defence - if something slips through everything above, pray that Billy watches over you. Last but not least - get yourself a cyber insurance - a good one. If everything above fails, and you got hacked, you will need some real pros to find the infections in your backups, neutralize them and get your data back in a reasonable amount of time. And since there aren't so many of those people left, who haven't changed sides, they are expensive - really expensive. Good ones start at 10k a day, and you will need a team of them. If you're lucky they'll need a week to fix everything - if it's more complicated it could be 2 or 3 weeks. Do the maths for your own.

So my thinking is, that if you want to be protected against ransomware, you foremost need to empower your users and invest in good hardware and insurance.

Login or sign up to reply to this topic.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Search the forums for similar questions or check out the Disaster Recovery Planning forum.

Read these next...

Curated Disable MFA for 1 user on one windows 10 computer.

Disable MFA for 1 user on one windows 10 computer.

Hi I have a user that is sometimes in a place where phone or fob or any other mfa azure managed device is allowed.The device is secured away and remote access to it is disabled.I dont want to disable MFA for that user on all devices just one of the device...

Curated Snap! -- Moon Landing Tomorrow, Overhearing Fingerprints, Million-Movie Discs

Snap! -- Moon Landing Tomorrow, Overhearing Fingerprints, Million-Movie Discs

Your daily dose of tech news, in brief. Welcome to the Snap! Flashback: February 21, 1986: The Legend of Zelda for the NES was first released. (Read more HERE.) Security News: • Redis Servers Targeted With New ‘Migo’ Malware (Read more...

Curated WANsdays - "AI movies"

WANsdays - "AI movies"

Hi, y'all - Chad here. Well, another Wednesday is upon us...try to contain your ecstatic joy, everyone. I was having a hard time coming up with a topic for this week, but since we're all contractually obligated to talk about artificial intelligence every ...

Curated HIPAA Help - Need some Guidance

HIPAA Help - Need some Guidance

I am embarking in a journey, that I really don't want to go on, but alas, here I am.We are contracting with a vendor to provide onsite medical services to our employees.  The vendor is HIPAA compliant/certified, but we are not.They require us to provide a...

Curated Spark! Pro series - 21st February 2024

Spark! Pro series - 21st February 2024

Today in History: 1804 - World’s first railway journeyOn 21 February 1804, the world’s first ever railway journey ran 9 miles from the ironworks at Penydarren to the Merthyr–Cardiff Canal, south Wales. It was to be several years before steam locomotion be...

Supremus Group

  • How to Select HIPAA Training Company, Course and Certification
  • Certified HIPAA Privacy Security Expert (CHPSE)
  • Certified HIPAA Security Expert (CHSE)
  • Certified HIPAA Privacy Expert (CHPE)
  • HIPAA Overview Training – CHPA
  • Maintain HIPAA Credential
  • How to Select HIPAA Credential
  • Benefits of HIPAA Logos
  • HIPAA Certifications FAQ
  • HIPAA Training
  • HCISPP Certification Training Course: Online, Classroom and Onsite
  • Certified CyberSecurity Awareness Professional Certification Training
  • Bloodborne Pathogens Training
  • Texas House Bill 300 (HB 300) Training
  • Continuing Education Courses for HIPAA Certification
  • Data Protection Training
  • Globally Harmonized System Course
  • Medical Fraud, Waste and Abuse Training Course for Medicare/Medicaid
  • HIPAA Security Policies Procedure Templates: Overview
  • HIPAA Privacy Policy Templates
  • HIPAA Security Contingency Plan/Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) Templates Suite
  • HIPAA Security Risk Analysis templates
  • Small Business Disaster Recovery Plan and Business Continuity Template Suite
  • HIPAA Compliance FAQ
  • Become a Reseller
  • Hospital Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan for JCAHO & HIPAA
  • Enterprise Contingency Plan Template Suite
  • Enterprise Contingency Plan Template Suite for Business Impact Analysis, Disaster Recovery, Risk Assessment, Business Continuity Templates
  • Pandemic Disaster Plan Template Suite
  • HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan and Business Continuity Plan for Health Plan
  • Business Associates Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan
  • Covered Entity HIPAA Compliance Tool & Training
  • Business Associate HIPAA Compliance Tool & Training
  • HIPAA Compliance Audit Questionnaire
  • HIPAA Security Risk Assessment and Risk Analysis Management
  • HIPAA Security Contingency Plan: Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan
  • Massachusetts Data Protection
  • Charities Supported
  • Testimonials
  • Press Release
  • HIPAA Store

Long Term Care Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan for JCAHO & HIPAA

Long Term Care Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan Template Suite

Our templates are designed to meet HIPAA & JCAHO requirements and will also help with business continuity requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), FISMA, ISO 27002, and FDA. This template suite contains guidelines, matrix, templates, forms, worksheets, policies, procedures, methodologies, tools, recovery plan, information on free resources, and standards in the following sections:

  • Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
  • Risk Assessment
  • Selecting and Implementing Recovery Strategies
  • Contingency Program Policy & Standards
  • Long Term Care Data Backup and Storage Plan
  • Long Term Care Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)
  • Long Term Care Business Continuity Plan (BCP)
  • Long Term Care Emergency Mode Operation Pl an (EMOP)
  • Long Term Care DRP & BCP Testing and Revision Plan

The Long Term Care Contingency Plan Template Suite comes as a Word & Excel document and has more than 1500 pages of content (including 772 pages of examples of different plans) which can be easily scaled based on the size of your organization. It is advisable to create a disaster plan based on the worst-case scenario.

Feel free to request a sample before buying.

Summary of Documents in Long-Term Care Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan Template Suite

Long Term Care Disaster Recovery Plan

IMAGES

  1. Business continuity and disaster recovery plan template in Word and Pdf

    business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

  2. Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery 101

    business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

  3. Guide to business continuity and disaster recovery

    business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

  4. Infographic: 9 Important Items Disaster Recovery Plans Should Include

    business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

  5. Disaster Recovery vs. Business Continuity

    business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

  6. Business Continuity vs Disaster Recovery

    business continuity and hipaa disaster recovery plan

VIDEO

  1. Disaster Recovery Solutions

  2. Why Startups Require a Disaster Recovery Plan?

  3. BIA Data is like gold

  4. When Should You Use Your Crisis Management Process

  5. It’s Not Too Early to Start Thinking About 2024

  6. Secure Your Business with Gsoft Disaster Recovery Solutions

COMMENTS

  1. HIPAA Contingency Plan

    Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP) are the overall processes of developing an approved set of arrangements and procedures to ensure your business can respond to a disaster and resume its critical business functions within a required time frame objective.

  2. What Are the HIPAA Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Requirements?

    This business continuity strategy requires healthcare organizations to be capable of recovering critical IT systems that handle Electronic Patient Health Information (ePHI) into a disaster recovery location while ensuring critical business functions continue in the event of a crisis.

  3. PDF NIST SP 800-34, Revision 1

    NIST SP 800-34 Rev.1 is the first major update to a contingency planning guideline that is being used by all federal agencies, as well as many state and local agencies. The guide is also commonly used for contingency plan development within the private sector, and is the most downloaded NIST standard in their library.

  4. HIPAA Rules on Contingency Planning

    The HIPAA rules on contingency planning are that covered entities must prepare a contingency plan for each type of foreseeable disaster that includes data backup, emergency mode operations, and disaster recovery.

  5. What is a Disaster Recovery Plan for HIPAA Compliance?

    To effectively mitigate potential disasters and other related contingencies, organizations must implement a disaster recovery plan for HIPAA, which requires an understanding of: The primary HIPAA Rules and how they apply to organizations in healthcare The HIPAA disaster recovery requirements and how they inform contingency planning

  6. How To Create a HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan

    Step 1: Define Roles and Responsibilities Within your organization, designate specific roles and responsibilities for disaster recovery. Identify individuals on your team who are responsible for various aspects of the plan, from data backup to communication and recovery coordination. Step 2: Conduct a Business Impact Analysis (BIA)

  7. Why a HIPAA disaster recovery plan is critical

    HIPAA section 164.308 (a) (7) (i) states that covered entities must "establish (and implement as needed) policies and procedures for responding to an emergency or other occurrence (for example, fire, vandalism, system failure, and natural disaster,) that damages systems that contain electronic protected health information."

  8. HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan

    HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan, Business Continuity Plan Rated 4.8/5 based on 639 reviews Training-hipaa.net offers a HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan and Business Continuity Plan for health plans. Call us now for more information.

  9. HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan

    A disaster recovery plan: A HIPAA disaster recovery plan requires an entity to establish, and implement as needed, procedures to restore any loss of data. The HIPAA Security Rule administrative safeguards provision does not specify the precise elements of a HIPAA disaster recovery plan.

  10. HIPAA-Compliant Disaster Recovery

    The HIPAA disaster recovery plan is implemented when a hospital enters into its emergency operations mode. Emergency operations mode involves following pre-defined, tested policies and procedures that ensure health information remains secure and business operations continue while systems and services are restored.

  11. The Importance of Disaster Recovery for HIPAA Compliance

    What Steps Do You Need to Follow to Ensure Peak Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Per HIPAA Guidelines? As you begin to plan your own DR plan, it is important to keep key points in mind, such as the need for data backup, emergency mode operations, testing and revision procedures, and the ability to determine which applications and data are critical for operations.

  12. HIPAA Disaster Recovery Planning

    According to the Contingency Plan Policy in HIPAA section 164.308 (a) (7) (i), covered entities must "formulate and execute, as needed, guidelines and procedures to respond to emergencies or other incidents (like system failure, fire, vandalism, or natural disaster) that damage systems containing ePHI.". While entities can choose their ...

  13. PDF Business Continuity Planning & Information Technology Disaster Recovery

    The HIPAA Security rule requires that HIPAA Covered Entities create, implement and test contingency plans to respond to allow for business continuity and disaster recovery of data and systems in emergency or similar situations. Each HIPAA Covered Component shall create and implement a contingency plan to deal with emergency situations.

  14. Disaster Recovery Plan Template

    HIPAA Contingency Plan template suite can be used for Disaster Recovery Plan Template (DRP) & Business Continuity Plan (BCP) by any organization to comply with requirements of HIPAA, JCAHO, and ISO 27002. Any organization, large or small, can use this template and adapt to its environment.

  15. HIPAA Disaster Recovery Plan

    A HIPAA disaster recovery plan (HIPAA DRP) is an organized way that guides businesses to take specific actions and follow processes to restore assets to their original state and secure sensitive healthcare data in case of disaster. The administrative safeguard provision of the HIPAA's Security Rule requires businesses to implement contingency ...

  16. Pharmacy HIPAA Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Plan

    Pharmacy HIPAA Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Plan Pharmacy HIPAA Business Continuity Plan (BCP) & Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) All Pharmacies are required to create the HIPAA Security Contingency plan. Our templates are the most economical and exhaustive solutions that any pharmacy can adapt based on the size of its organization.

  17. What is BCDR? Business continuity and disaster recovery guide

    Organizations embarking on a business continuity and disaster recovery planning process have numerous resources to draw upon. Those include standards, tools ranging from templates to software products, and advisory services. "To build a plan, you have many templates that exist and many best practices and many consultants," ESG's Bertrand said.

  18. What is business continuity disaster recovery?

    A disaster recovery plan (DRP) is a contingency plan for how an enterprise will recover from an unexpected event. Alongside business continuity plans (BCPs), DR plans help businesses navigate different disaster scenarios, such as massive outages, natural disasters, ransomware and malware attacks, and many others. What is a business continuity plan?

  19. What is business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR)?

    A business continuity and disaster recovery plan is a combination of business processes and data solutions that work together to ensure an organization's business operations can continue with minimal impact in the event of an emergency. Business downtime can be caused by events like: Natural disasters. Cyberattacks.

  20. HIPAA Security Contingency Plan: Disaster Recovery & Business

    HIPAA Security Contingency Plan: Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Plan - HIPAA Training Let us help you with your HIPAA Contingency planning project. Contact us for more information at [email protected] or call (515) 865-4591

  21. How To Ensure Business Continuity In The Face Of Internet ...

    Below are three key things businesses should consider to ensure business continuity in 2024. 1. Network Redundancy. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the necessity for flexible working options and ...

  22. Small Business Disaster Recovery Plan

    Disaster Recovery Plan Template (47 pages) Example - Disaster Recovery Plan (42 pages) Guide to Documenting Disaster Recovery Plans (25 pages) Data Backup Plan Data Backup Plan Template (18 pages) Data Backup Plan Development Guide (11 pages) Example Data Backup Plan (19 pages) Policy & Standards

  23. How to Align Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Cybersecurity

    Use a phased approach to demonstrate ongoing progress and build on early successes. Exercise, exercise, and exercise again: Execute at least five recovery activities every month, evaluating and testing various parts of the plan. Remember that continuity and recovery capabilities are only as strong as they are exercised.

  24. Examine the use of a continuity plan in disaster planning and

    Continuity Plan in Disaster Planning and Recovery in Healthcare Informatics In the realm of healthcare informatics, where the reliance on digital systems is paramount, the development and implementation of a continuity plan are critical components of disaster planning and recovery (Zare, et al 2020). A continuity plan ensures that essential functions and services can continue or be rapidly ...

  25. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Strategies

    Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Strategies. As the head of IT operations for a rapidly expanding e-commerce startup, I'm tasked with ensuring our systems are resilient and prepared for any unforeseen challenges. As we prioritize our business continuity and disaster recovery efforts, I'm keen to gather insights from the community:

  26. Hospital Disaster Recovery

    Our Hospital Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan templates are designed to meet HIPAA & JCAHO requirements of the healthcare industry and will also help with business continuity requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), FISMA, ISO 27002, and FDA.

  27. NSE special session timings

    Special trading session: Stock exchange NSE will remain open on Saturday, March 2, for a special trading session to test the preparedness in case of any unexpected disaster in the system. The special session is part of the framework for the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Disaster Recovery Site (DRS) for stock exchanges and depositories, and, hence, the first Saturday of March will not be a ...

  28. Long Term Care Disaster Recovery

    Long Term Care Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan for JCAHO & HIPAA All Nursing Homes, Assisted Living, Continuing Care Retirement Communities, and Housing for Aging and Disabled Individuals are required to create Contingency Plan for disaster.