INSIGHT

Business continuity vs. disaster recovery: Understanding the difference 

Josh Schmidt • October 17, 2025

Services: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

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When a cyber incident strikes your organization, every minute counts. The decisions you make in those first critical hours can mean the difference between a quick recovery and a significant business disruption. But before you can respond effectively, you need to understand which framework will serve your organization best. 

Many organizations use the terms “business continuity” and “disaster recovery” interchangeably. While they’re closely related, these two approaches serve different purposes in your overall preparedness strategy. This article will explain the key differences between business continuity and disaster recovery planning and help you determine which approach fits your organization’s needs. 

What is business continuity planning? 

Business continuity planning focuses on keeping your organization running during and after a disruptive event. A business continuity plan (BCP) takes a broad view of your operations. It addresses how you’ll maintain critical business functions when disaster strikes. 

Your BCP considers multiple scenarios that could interrupt normal operations. These include cyberattacks, natural disasters, power outages, and supply chain disruptions. The plan outlines specific steps your team will take to keep essential services available to customers and stakeholders.  

“The most common mistake an organization makes when developing a business continuity plan is not taking the time to build the foundational process that the plan describes. It’s tempting to use a template or purchase a tool, but without a firm underlying process for business continuity, a template or tool won’t benefit the organization.”  – Josh Schmidt, BPM Cybersecurity Partner 

Think of business continuity as your operational playbook. It answers questions like: How will employees communicate if email systems go down? Which business functions must continue no matter what? Who makes critical decisions when leadership is unavailable? 

What is disaster recovery planning? 

Disaster recovery planning takes a more focused approach. A disaster recovery plan (DRP) specifically addresses your IT systems and data protection. It details how you’ll restore technology infrastructure after an incident. 

Your DRP identifies every critical system your organization depends on. It establishes recovery time objectives (RTO) for each system. RTO defines how quickly you need to restore a particular system to avoid significant business impact. 

The plan also sets recovery point objectives (RPO). RPO determines how much data you can afford to lose during an incident. Some organizations back up data continuously to remote locations. Others accept a few hours of potential data loss if their systems fail. 

Disaster recovery planning involves detailed technical procedures. Your team needs clear instructions for restoring servers, databases, applications, and network infrastructure. The plan assigns specific responsibilities to IT staff members who will execute the recovery. 

Business continuity vs. disaster recovery: Key differences between the two approaches 

The scope sets is the main differentiator when looking at business continuity vs. disaster recovery. Business continuity planning addresses your entire organization. Disaster recovery planning focuses specifically on technology and data systems. 

Business continuity takes a proactive stance. It helps you maintain operations while a crisis unfolds. Disaster recovery is more reactive. It kicks in after an incident has already disrupted your systems. 

Your business continuity plan involves multiple departments across your organization. Marketing, operations, finance, and human resources all play roles in maintaining business functions. Your disaster recovery plan primarily engages IT staff and technology vendors. 

The timeline differs as well. Business continuity planning prepares you to operate through extended disruptions that could last days or weeks. Disaster recovery focuses on restoring systems as quickly as possible, often within hours. 

Learn more about our Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Services

Do you need both plans? 

Most organizations benefit from having both frameworks in place. Your business continuity plan ensures critical operations continue serving customers. Your disaster recovery plan gets technology systems back online quickly. 

These plans work together to create comprehensive protection. When a ransomware attack encrypts your files, your disaster recovery plan guides the technical restoration. Meanwhile, your business continuity plan helps other departments continue serving customers using alternative processes.  

Some organizations develop a combined business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) strategy. This integrated approach helps leadership coordinate responses across both operational and technical dimensions. The key is ensuring both aspects receive adequate attention and resources. 

Building effective plans for your organization 

• Start by conducting a business impact analysis. This assessment identifies which functions and systems are most critical to your operations. It also estimates the potential cost of downtime for each area. 
• Document your current assets and dependencies. You need to know exactly what technology, facilities, and personnel support each critical function. This inventory becomes the foundation for both planning efforts. 
• Assign clear roles and responsibilities to team members. During a crisis, everyone needs to know their specific duties. Create communication protocols that work even when primary systems fail. 
• Test your plans regularly through tabletop exercises and simulations. These practice sessions reveal gaps in your procedures before a real incident occurs. They also build confidence among team members who will execute the plans under pressure. 

Strengthen your preparedness with BPM  

BPM’s cyber team understands that effective incident response requires both strategic planning and technical readiness. We help organizations develop comprehensive business continuity vs disaster recovery frameworks tailored to your specific risks and requirements. 

Our approach includes scenario-based tabletop exercises that test your response capabilities, business impact analysis to identify critical priorities, and recovery strategy development aligned with your business objectives. We work alongside your team to build practical plans that will actually work when you need them most. To evaluate your current preparedness and develop the capabilities you need to respond effectively when incidents occur, contact us.