6 Critical Roles and Responsibilities for a Robust Disaster Recovery Team Playbook
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, the question is no longer if a disaster will strike, but when. For high-growth B2B companies, particularly those in HR and recruiting, a disruption can mean more than just downtime—it can lead to irreparable data loss, compliance breaches, damaged reputation, and significant financial setbacks. From critical CRM data in platforms like Keap and HighLevel to sensitive candidate information and employee records, the integrity and availability of your data are paramount. An effective Disaster Recovery (DR) Team Playbook isn’t merely a nice-to-have; it’s a non-negotiable component of business continuity. It provides a structured, proactive approach to preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disruptive events, ensuring minimal impact on your operations and client commitments. This isn’t just about restoring systems; it’s about safeguarding your strategic assets, maintaining trust, and proving your resilience in the face of the unexpected. Building a robust DR team, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, is the cornerstone of this preparedness. It ensures that when chaos strikes, every individual knows their mission, their tools, and their path to recovery, transforming potential catastrophe into a manageable challenge. Without such a framework, even the most advanced automation and AI systems are vulnerable, leaving your business exposed. Our aim is to demystify the process, offering practical, actionable insights that empower your team to build an impenetrable defense against data loss and operational standstill.
1. The Disaster Recovery Coordinator (DRC)
Often referred to as the linchpin of the entire disaster recovery operation, the Disaster Recovery Coordinator (DRC) is responsible for the overall strategic direction, planning, and execution of the DR playbook. This role is not just managerial; it requires a deep understanding of the organization’s critical systems, data flows, and business processes. The DRC acts as the central command, overseeing the development of recovery objectives, establishing recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs), and ensuring that the DR plan aligns with the company’s broader business continuity strategy. For HR and recruiting firms, this means understanding the criticality of candidate data in a CRM like Keap or HighLevel, the legal implications of lost employee records, and the operational impact of halted recruitment pipelines. The DRC coordinates regular risk assessments, identifies potential vulnerabilities, and champions the necessary investments in backup infrastructure, redundant systems, and offsite storage. They are also responsible for scheduling and leading DR drills and exercises, meticulously documenting lessons learned, and continuously refining the playbook based on evolving threats and technological advancements. This role demands exceptional leadership, communication skills to liaise with all departments and stakeholders, and the ability to make high-pressure decisions when a disaster strikes. Their success is measured not just by recovery speed, but by the prevention of significant data loss and the seamless restoration of critical business functions.
2. Data Backup and Recovery Specialist
In an era where data is the lifeblood of every enterprise, the Data Backup and Recovery Specialist plays an indispensable role in safeguarding this critical asset. This team member is the technical backbone, directly responsible for implementing, monitoring, and maintaining all data backup systems and processes. Their purview extends across all critical data points, from the core CRM databases (e.g., Keap, HighLevel) containing invaluable candidate and client information, to internal file servers, cloud storage, and even individual workstations. This role requires a meticulous approach to detail, ensuring that backups are not only performed regularly according to defined schedules (daily, hourly, real-time) but also that their integrity is routinely verified. A backup is only as good as its ability to be restored, making regular testing of recovery procedures a critical component of this role. This specialist must be proficient in various backup technologies, understanding the nuances between full, incremental, and differential backups, and capable of performing data restoration with precision and speed. They are also instrumental in defining data retention policies, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements (like GDPR or CCPA for HR data), and implementing encryption protocols for sensitive information both in transit and at rest. Their expertise minimizes data loss, accelerating the recovery point objective (RPO) during an incident and directly contributing to the company’s ability to resume normal operations with minimal disruption to HR and recruiting workflows.
3. Communications Coordinator
During a disaster, effective and timely communication is as vital as the technical recovery itself. The Communications Coordinator is the designated point person for all internal and external messaging, playing a crucial role in maintaining transparency, managing expectations, and preserving stakeholder confidence. This responsibility extends beyond merely issuing updates; it involves crafting clear, concise, and empathetic messages that address the specific concerns of employees, clients, candidates, and potentially regulatory bodies or the media. Internally, they ensure all team members are aware of the situation, their roles, and the expected timeline for recovery, preventing misinformation and reducing anxiety. Externally, for a recruiting firm, this might involve communicating with active candidates about delays, informing clients about potential service interruptions, and reassuring them of ongoing recovery efforts. The Communications Coordinator works closely with leadership and legal teams to approve official statements, ensuring compliance and brand protection. They must establish pre-approved communication templates, channels (e.g., emergency email lists, dedicated status pages, social media policies), and protocols for different disaster scenarios. Their ability to deliver accurate information under pressure, manage crisis narratives, and control the flow of communication directly impacts the organization’s reputation and trust, both of which are incredibly difficult to rebuild once lost. This role emphasizes the human element of disaster recovery, ensuring everyone is informed and aligned.
4. Business Continuity Liaison
While the Disaster Recovery Coordinator focuses on the technical restoration of systems and data, the Business Continuity Liaison (BCL) ensures that critical business functions can continue, or quickly resume, even amidst significant disruption. This role is inherently cross-functional, requiring a deep understanding of operational processes across various departments, especially HR and recruiting. The BCL identifies mission-critical activities – such as payroll processing, candidate sourcing, client communication, and onboarding new hires – and develops strategies to maintain these operations using alternative methods or reduced capacities during a disaster. For instance, if the main CRM (Keap/HighLevel) is down, the BCL would have pre-defined manual processes or alternative temporary systems to keep recruitment moving forward, perhaps using spreadsheets or temporary communication platforms. They assess the impact of system outages on business workflows, prioritize recovery efforts based on operational urgency, and collaborate with department heads to create specific departmental continuity plans. This involves establishing minimum operational requirements, identifying essential personnel, and ensuring access to necessary tools or resources even when primary systems are unavailable. The BCL also plays a key role in post-disaster evaluation, analyzing the effectiveness of continuity measures and recommending improvements to enhance organizational resilience. Their focus is on ensuring that the organization can continue to deliver value and meet its core obligations to candidates, clients, and employees, even when facing extraordinary circumstances.
5. Technical Infrastructure Expert
The Technical Infrastructure Expert is the architect and troubleshooter of the underlying technology stack that supports all business operations. This role is critical during a disaster recovery scenario as they are directly responsible for the rapid restoration of network connectivity, servers, virtual machines, and cloud infrastructure. Their expertise spans various domains, including networking, virtualization, operating systems, and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, where many CRMs and other SaaS tools are hosted or integrated). In a disaster, this expert diagnoses infrastructure failures, implements pre-defined recovery procedures, and works to bring essential systems back online. For instance, if a core server hosting internal applications or integrations (like those connecting Keap or HighLevel with other tools via Make.com) fails, this individual spearheads its restoration or the activation of redundant systems. They are also vital in the proactive phase, designing resilient infrastructure, implementing redundancy measures, configuring failover mechanisms, and ensuring that the recovery environment mirrors the production environment as closely as possible. This includes managing firewalls, VPNs, and ensuring secure remote access for the recovery team. Their deep technical knowledge and hands-on capability are crucial for achieving the targeted recovery time objectives (RTOs), ensuring that the underlying technological platform is stable and available for the restoration of applications and data. Without this role, data backup and business continuity efforts would lack the foundational support required for successful recovery.
6. Legal and Compliance Advisor
Navigating the legal and compliance landscape during and after a disaster is complex, especially for organizations handling sensitive data like HR and recruiting firms. The Legal and Compliance Advisor plays a crucial role in ensuring that all disaster recovery efforts adhere to relevant laws, regulations, and contractual obligations. This includes understanding the specific requirements of data protection acts (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA), industry standards, and client agreements regarding data privacy, security, and recovery timelines. During a disaster, this individual advises the DR team on legal implications of data breaches, reporting requirements for regulatory bodies, and communications protocols that avoid legal pitfalls. They ensure that any data recovery or restoration processes do not inadvertently violate privacy laws or compromise sensitive information. For instance, in an HR context, the handling of employee PII or candidate background check data during a recovery must strictly comply with established legal frameworks. Proactively, this advisor helps to embed legal and compliance considerations into the DR playbook’s design, reviewing backup strategies, data retention policies, and third-party vendor agreements to ensure they meet legal standards for data resilience. Their guidance is essential in developing comprehensive incident response plans that protect the organization from fines, litigation, and reputational damage, making them a key voice in defining recovery priorities and methods. This role underpins the trust and integrity that clients and candidates place in your organization, ensuring that even in chaos, ethical and legal standards are upheld.
Establishing a well-defined disaster recovery team, with each member understanding their specific roles and responsibilities, is no longer a luxury but a fundamental necessity for any forward-thinking B2B company. The roles outlined above form a robust framework, ensuring that every facet of preparation, response, and recovery is meticulously addressed. From the strategic oversight of the DRC to the hands-on data recovery efforts, the critical communications, the maintenance of business continuity, the technical restoration of infrastructure, and the vital legal guidance, each position contributes uniquely to an organization’s resilience. For firms that rely heavily on CRM data like Keap and HighLevel for their HR and recruiting operations, investing in such a playbook protects not just technology, but client trust, market reputation, and ultimately, sustained growth. Proactive planning, regular testing, and continuous refinement are the hallmarks of an effective disaster recovery strategy. Don’t wait for a crisis to define your response; build your resilient team and playbook today.
If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: HR & Recruiting CRM Data Disaster Recovery Playbook: Keap & High Level Edition
