When disaster strikes—whether it’s a cyber-attack, flood or major system failure—businesses need to act fast. That’s where Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) and Disaster Recovery Plans (DRPs) come in. But despite their importance, the terms are often used interchangeably and inconsistently, with other terms such as BCDR entering the narrative. This makes it difficult for organisations to know what they actually need, or what to ask for when seeking help.
Let’s break it down.
What Is a Business Continuity Plan?
A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is designed to help a business recover from events that threaten its very existence. It ensures that operations can continue or resume quickly without breaching the organisation’s impact tolerance. It covers all types of risks, from cyber incidents to supply chain failures.
Learn more about Business Continuity Planning →
What Is Disaster Recovery?
Disaster Recovery (DR) is typically addressed through an IT Disaster Recovery Plan. It’s best to refer to it as such to avoid confusion. DR focuses specifically on restoring IT systems, applications and infrastructure within the timeframes set out in the BCP. It’s a natural component of continuity planning, given that IT is a core area of risk and an operational necessity for most organisations.
Is “Disaster Recovery” Just About IT?
In the UK, Disaster Recovery is now widely recognised as an IT-specific discipline. It refers to the restoration of systems, applications and infrastructure following a major disruption.
However, in the US, the term is often used more broadly. Agencies like FEMA use “Disaster Recovery” to describe everything from rebuilding homes to restoring public services after natural disasters. This wider usage has crept into some international frameworks and software vendor messaging, which can cause confusion.
Here in the UK, physical infrastructure and wider business operations are addressed through Business Continuity Planning. DR is a focused subset of that, centred on IT recovery.
Understanding this distinction helps ensure your plans are aligned with modern best practice and avoids the trap of thinking that a backup tool can deliver a full recovery strategy.
What is BCDR?
You’ll increasingly hear BCDR mentioned in service-based industries where physical infrastructure is minimal and operations are largely digital and outsourced. These businesses can work from anywhere, with little reliance on equipment or complex supply chains. In such cases, BCP tends to be IT-centric and it makes sense to have a single integrated response plan.
Some government contracts also refer to BCDR in ways that are challenging for tendering organisations that have mature fully tested but separate BCP and DRP. We’ve explored that in another blog here.)
Then there’s the software angle. Many vendors offer backup and recovery solutions and label them “BCDR”. While these tools are useful, they’re no substitute for a proper plan. Technology alone doesn’t make you resilient.
In our eyes a BCDR Plan therefore amounts to a complete and seamless integration of BCP and IT DRP.
The Key Differences Between BCP and DR
Here’s a side-by-side comparison to help clarify things:
|
Aspect |
Business Continuity Plan (BCP) |
Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) |
|
Definition |
A plan to recover the business from an existentially threatening event. |
A plan to recover IT services in required timeframes following a major IT disruption. |
|
Focus |
Stakeholder management and recovery of products and services. Covers processes, people, applications, information, equipment, resources, infrastructure and supply. |
Recovery of IT services, primarily internal. Focuses on restoring applications and information identified in the BCP. |
|
Scope |
Everything critical products and services depend on. |
IT infrastructure that delivers critical apps and information. |
|
Typical Documentation |
Business Impact Analysis, Continuity Risk Assessment, Business Continuity Plan, Scenario Runbooks. |
IT Impact Analysis (may be part of the BIA), IT Continuity Risk Assessment, IT Disaster Recovery Plan, IT Scenario Runbooks. |
It’s worth noting that BCP aims to minimise downtime and maintain functionality, while DR is typically about rebuilding and recovering lost functionality. They don’t clash - they complement each other. A strong BCP will naturally drive a DRP that satisfies business priorities.
Why both BCP and DRP are important
A major IT incident is rarely just an IT problem. If customers or stakeholders are affected, the BCP should be activated. Equally, most continuity events will require some form of IT recovery. The two plans must work together.
Without a BCP, a DRP leaves a gap in crisis management, communications and business recovery. IT might bounce back, but the wider business could still suffer serious consequences.
Without a DRP, IT recovery may be chaotic and uncoordinated. This is especially problematic given how central technology is to most operations.
That said, many SMEs we work with operate with low levels of IT complexity. They rely on SaaS providers and have little or no internal IT infrastructure. In these cases, a standalone DRP may be overkill. Instead, their BCP includes responses to the loss of each critical SaaS service—for example, how to manage without access to the ERP system, what workarounds exist and how to retrieve data from alternative sources.
Even SaaS-based setups can have hidden dependencies. Authentication services, third-party integrations and data residency requirements can all introduce risk. A lightweight DRP embedded within the BCP can help map these out and ensure recovery actions are coordinated, even if the infrastructure isn’t owned directly.
FAQs
What is the difference between BCP and DR?
A BCP covers the entire business response to existential threats, while a DRP focuses specifically on restoring IT systems within the timeframes set by the BCP.
How should I interpret BCDR?
A BCDR plan amounts to a BCP that includes, or is wholly linked to, or is fully integrated with a DRP.
What do I need first, BCP or DRP?
Start with BCP. It sets the broader recovery strategy and defines the timeframes that your DRP will need to meet.
Do I need both BCP and DRP?
Yes, unless your IT setup is very straightforward or largely outsourced. Most businesses benefit from having both, as they address different but interconnected aspects of resilience.
How does DR fit into a BCP?
DR is a key component of the BCP. It supports the recovery of IT services that underpin critical business functions.
Can a BCP work without a DRP?
Technically yes, but it’s risky. Without a DRP, IT recovery may be slow or ineffective, undermining the BCP’s objectives.
Can a DRP work without a BCP?
Technically yes, but this implies IT’s prioritisation, deadline-setting and subsequent plan of action keep fully in step with business need. This is unlikely to be the case unless a business impact analysis has taken place, which implies BCP. Again, it's risky.
Can BCP and DRP work if maintained and operated in isolation from each other
Technically yes, but it's risky and prone to gaps, overlaps and differing assumptions.
Is cybersecurity part of a BCP or DRP?
Cybersecurity spans both. Prevention and detection sit outside the scope of BCP and DRP, but response and recovery should be included in both plans.
How often should BCP and DR plans be tested?
At least annually, or more often depending on regulatory or operational requirements. Testing ensures plans remain relevant and effective.
Understanding the distinction between BCP and DRP isn’t just a technical exercise—it’s the foundation of a resilient business. If you're unsure where to start, or want to review your existing plans, we can help.