Business Continuity vs. Disaster Recovery: What’s the Difference?

Many organizations experienced unexpected disruption at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Those with business continuity and disaster recovery plans in place weren’t caught scrambling – compared to other organizations.

The terms “business continuity” and “disaster recovery” are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different aspects of dealing with any sort of disaster. Business continuity involves the solutions and actions an organization uses in order to stay operational during a disaster or disruption. Disaster recovery encompasses the strategies a business uses to return to full functionality after a disaster has already occurred.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery: A Comparison

The key difference between your business continuity and your disaster recovery plans is when each is enacted, among several other nuances:

Business continuity plans:

  • Ensure your mission-critical business functions continue to operate, without extensive downtime, should a disaster occur.
  • Often involve a risk assessment or business impact analysis to help determine the impact on your organization should you – or even your service providers – experience a disruption.
  • Help you implement risk management strategies across your organization with well defined criteria for measuring success.

Disaster recovery strategies:

  • Are created to help organizations plan for what happens after a disaster – whether natural, caused by human error, or due to malicious actors – has already occurred.
  • Focus on the solutions and steps required to bring the business back to normal operation in the wake of a disaster.
  • Include plans for replacing or repairing physical infrastructure and getting employees and systems back online.

Businesses that seek to minimize the impact of a disaster should have both a business continuity plan and a disaster recovery strategy in place. If you’d like to discuss what this looks like for your organization, we’re here to help.