A disaster recovery plan (DRP) is a documented, structured approach that explains how a company can quickly restart operations following disruptive events, including cyber attacks, natural disasters, and power outages.

The plan includes techniques for reducing the effects of a disaster and assisting an organization in fast resuming critical operations or operating as if nothing happened.

A disaster recovery plan is an essential component of successful business continuity planning. The plan might include everything from recovering a small data set to restoring a whole data center, depending on the type of disaster that occurs.