BCP and DRP Differences

Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

1. Scope and Purpose:

• The BCP focuses on ensuring that critical business functions can continue
during and after a disaster or disruption.

• It addresses the continuity of operations and aims to minimize the impact on

the organization’s operations, ensuring that essential functions are
maintained.

2. Coverage:

• Covers all aspects of the business, including processes, people,

infrastructure, and information systems.

• Plans for a wide range of potential disruptions, not limited to IT-related

issues, but also including natural disasters, supply chain interruptions, and
other operational risks.

3. Components:

• Business Impact Analysis (BIA): Identifies critical business functions and

the impact of their disruption.

• Risk Assessment: Evaluates the risks to these critical functions.

• Continuity Strategies: Develops strategies to maintain operations, such as

alternative work sites, remote working capabilities, and process
adjustments.

• Communication Plan: Ensures effective communication with stakeholders

during a disruption.

• Training and Testing: Regularly trains employees and tests the plan to
ensure effectiveness.

4. Focus:

• Emphasizes the continuity of business operations as a whole.

• Typically involves a longer-term strategy to ensure ongoing operations and

recovery over a period of time.
Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)
1. Scope and Purpose:

• The DRP is a subset of the BCP that specifically focuses on the recovery of IT
systems and data after a disaster.

• Its primary goal is to restore IT services and data access as quickly as

possible to support business operations.

2. Coverage:

• Limited to the IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, data, networks,

and connectivity.

• Deals with IT-specific incidents like cyberattacks, hardware failures, software

issues, and data corruption.

3. Components:

• Recovery Time Objectives (RTO): Defines the maximum acceptable

downtime for IT services.

• Recovery Point Objectives (RPO): Specifies the maximum acceptable data

loss in terms of time.

• Backup Procedures: Details the methods and frequency of data backups.

• Recovery Steps: Outlines the step-by-step procedures to restore IT systems

and data.

• Testing and Validation: Regularly tests the recovery procedures to ensure

they work as intended.

4. Focus:

• Concentrates on the technical aspects of recovery.

• Aims for a quick restoration of IT services to minimize downtime and data

loss.
BCP and DRP Integration:
• The BCP and DRP should be integrated and aligned to ensure a
comprehensive approach to managing disruptions.

• The DRP supports the BCP by focusing on the quick recovery of IT systems,
which are often critical to business operations.