Proper failover testing involves having a plan prepared long in advance. This is especially true if the test will constrict service availability for production applications by actually bringing these services off-line. Expectations must also be clearly laid out prior to conducting a DR test in order to fairly assess the success of that test.
Prior to running a test of DR capabilities an organization must:
- Prepare and organize.
- Define and manage expectations.
Preparing for a DR Test
Use a checklist to determine if the x is effective, up-to-date, and ready to go.
A checklist should include:
- A series of questions in sequential order of the DR test life cycle.
- A description of how a “score” is generated and a “Pass / Fail”.
- A description of any preparations required in advance of test commencement.
- Recovery Point Objectives & Recovery Time Objective for each system / service to be recovered.
- Process for dealing with testing issues, proposed recommendations and changes and follow-ups through to completion.
Managing and Evaluating Expectations
Before implementing a DR test, an organization needs to clearly define what it expects in terms of DR capabilities. Clearly defined expectations help an organization to identify successes and failures within the testing process. This includes ensuring test participants have familiarity and practice with the recovery technologies, scripts and process.
Create a scorecard to evaluate a test. A scorecard, like a checklist, is an artifact that a business has at its disposal for future learning. Its purpose is to score all elements of the disaster recovery test (preparation, execution, restoration of normal operations). A completed scorecard assesses the viability of each area of the disaster recovery process and confirms that business expectations can be met. The final score should reflect the overall success of the test and identify the readiness of the organization for a possible crisis.
Communicate with third parties. Validate the success of a DR test through a third party. Consult with business partners and owners of the systems in use. Acquire input and resources from these external sources as a means of validating failover performance and obtaining assistance for closing any gaps that prevent these recovery systems from running properly. This may include input on a wide variety of issues including network, infrastructure and applications.
Extensive preparation coupled with a clear description of DR expectations is the most effective way to begin the DR testing process. Unless an individual, a team, or a whole company knows what it hopes to achieve through testing, it will be difficult to evaluate the success of the DR test. Creating artefacts that can be used in the preparation, execution and assessment of the DR plan is also essential to implementing a successful DR testing strategy.
