ISC Resilience · Updated November 2026
Business Continuity or Disaster Recovery: Keeping the Business Running vs Restoring IT?
Business continuity is broader than IT restoration. Disaster recovery is one part of the broader continuity strategy.
Business continuity plan
Addresses how the organization continues critical operations during and after disruption, including people, facilities, vendors, communications, and technology.
Disaster recovery plan
Focuses more specifically on restoring IT systems, data, networks, and infrastructure.
RTO and RPO
Recovery objectives help determine required recovery speed and acceptable data loss for technology services.
Testing
Plans should be exercised and updated because an untested plan can fail when real dependencies are discovered during an emergency.
The takeaway
BCP keeps critical business processes operating. DRP restores technology and infrastructure after disruption.
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FAQ
Is disaster recovery broader than business continuity?
No.
Can BCP include non-IT processes?
Yes.
Do RTO and RPO support recovery planning?
Yes.