Disaster Recovery for Executives: The Right Questions to Ask Your IT Team (Without Getting Lost in Tech Jargon)

When disaster strikes, executives don't have the luxury of learning about their organization's disaster recovery (DR) capabilities on the fly. Yet many business leaders find themselves in the uncomfortable position of not knowing the right questions to ask their IT teams or worse, receiving answers so laden with technical jargon that they're left more confused than enlightened.

The reality is stark: 96% of companies that experience a major data loss go out of business within two years. As an executive, your job isn't to become a DR expert, but rather to ensure your organization has robust capabilities in place and that you understand them well enough to make informed business decisions.

This guide cuts through the technical noise and provides you with the essential questions every executive should ask about disaster recovery, along with guidance on interpreting the answers you receive.

Understanding the Business Impact: Your Starting Point

Before diving into technical questions, it's crucial to frame disaster recovery in business terms. Your IT team needs to understand that while they're focused on systems and recovery times, you're focused on revenue, customers, and business continuity.

The Foundation Question: What Does Downtime Cost Us?

Ask your IT team: "What is our estimated cost per hour of downtime for our critical systems?"

What you're looking for: A clear dollar figure that includes lost revenue, productivity costs, regulatory penalties, and reputation damage. If your IT team can't provide this number, that's your first red flag.

Why this matters: According to Gartner, the average cost of IT downtime is $5,600 per minute. For your specific business, this number could be much higher, especially if you're in e-commerce, financial services, or manufacturing.

Recovery Time and Recovery Point: The Critical Metrics

These two metrics—Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO)—are the foundation of any DR strategy. Don't let technical explanations obscure their business significance.

Recovery Time Objective (RTO): How Long Can You Wait?

Ask your IT team: "For each of our critical systems, how long will it take to restore operations after a disaster?"

What you're looking for: Specific timeframes for different systems (e.g., "Our e-commerce platform will be restored within 2 hours, our ERP system within 4 hours").

Red flags to watch for:

• Vague answers like "it depends" without specific scenarios
• RTOs that exceed your business tolerance (if you can't afford 4 hours of downtime, but your RTO is 6 hours, you have a problem)
• Different team members giving conflicting timeframes

Recovery Point Objective (RPO): How Much Data Can You Lose?

Ask your IT team: "If we have a disaster right now, how much data would we lose for each critical system?"

What you're looking for: Clear statements about data loss potential (e.g., "We would lose no more than 15 minutes of transaction data").

Why this matters: Even a few hours of lost data can be catastrophic. Imagine losing a day's worth of customer orders, financial transactions, or manufacturing data.

Testing: The Proof Is in the Practice

Many organizations have disaster recovery plans that look impressive on paper but have never been properly tested. This is where executives often get the most surprising revelations.

The Reality Check Question

Ask your IT team: "When did we last test our disaster recovery plan, what did we test, and what were the results?"

What you're looking for:

• Regular testing schedules (at least annually for full tests, quarterly for critical systems)
• Documentation of test results, including what worked and what didn't
• Evidence that identified issues were actually fixed
• Involvement of business stakeholders, not just IT staff

Warning signs:

• Tests that only cover "tabletop exercises" without actually failing over systems
• Long gaps between tests
• Tests that consistently reveal the same problems without resolution
• IT-only tests that don't involve business users

The Business Continuity Question

Ask your IT team: "During our last test, were business users able to perform their critical functions, and how long did it take them to become productive?"

Why this matters: Technical recovery is only half the battle. Your employees need to be able to work effectively with recovered systems, and this often takes longer than IT teams anticipate.

Infrastructure and Dependencies: Understanding Your Foundation

Modern businesses rely on complex interdependencies between systems, vendors, and services. Your DR plan needs to account for all of these relationships.

The Dependencies Question

Ask your IT team: "What external dependencies do our critical systems have, and how does our DR plan account for them?"

What you're looking for:

• Clear identification of cloud providers, internet service providers, and third-party vendors
• DR agreements or capabilities with these vendors
• Alternative options if primary vendors are affected by the same disaster

Critical follow-up: "What happens if our primary internet provider goes down? What about our cloud provider?"

The Geographic Question

Ask your IT team: "Where is our backup infrastructure located, and what disasters could affect both our primary and backup locations?"

What you're looking for:

• Geographic separation between primary and backup sites (ideally 100+ miles apart)
• Different geological zones, power grids, and telecommunications infrastructure
• Understanding of regional risks (hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding)

Cybersecurity and Modern Threats

Traditional DR planning focused on natural disasters and hardware failures. Today's threats are increasingly cyber-focused, and your DR plan must address this reality.

The Ransomware Question

Ask your IT team: "If we're hit by ransomware tomorrow, how quickly can we restore operations without paying the ransom?"

What you're looking for:

• Immutable backup systems that can't be encrypted by ransomware
• Regular testing of restoration from backups
• Clear procedures that don't depend on potentially compromised systems

Red flags:

• Backup systems that are always connected to primary systems
• Lack of testing against ransomware scenarios
• Overconfidence in prevention without adequate recovery planning

The Insider Threat Question

Ask your IT team: "How does our DR plan protect against malicious insiders or compromised administrator accounts?"

This tests whether your team has considered: Privileged access management, segregation of duties, and recovery procedures that don't rely on potentially compromised accounts.

Communication and Coordination: The Human Element

Disaster recovery isn't just about technology; it's about people working together under stressful conditions.

The Communication Plan Question

Ask your IT team: "How will we communicate with employees, customers, and stakeholders during a disaster?"

What you're looking for:

• Multiple communication channels (email, SMS, phone, web)
• Pre-drafted communications for different scenarios
• Clear escalation procedures and decision-making authority
• Regular updates to contact information

The Decision Authority Question

Ask your IT team: "Who has the authority to declare a disaster and initiate our DR plan, and what if that person isn't available?"

Why this matters: Disasters don't wait for convenient timing. Your DR plan needs clear decision-making authority with appropriate backup authorization.

Budget and Resources: The Reality Check

DR capabilities require ongoing investment, and understanding these costs is crucial for proper planning and budgeting.

The Total Cost Question

Ask your IT team: "What are our total annual costs for disaster recovery, including infrastructure, testing, and maintenance?"

What you're looking for:

• Infrastructure costs (backup sites, equipment, software licenses)
• Ongoing operational costs (monitoring, maintenance, testing)
• Personnel costs (training, exercises, plan maintenance)

The Scaling Question

Ask your IT team: "How will our DR costs and capabilities change as our business grows?"

This helps you understand: Whether your current DR solution can scale with your business or if you'll need significant reinvestment.

Key Takeaways for Executives

1. Frame DR discussions in business terms: Always start with business impact and cost of downtime, not technical specifications.

2. Demand specific, measurable answers: Avoid vague responses and insist on concrete RTOs, RPOs, and cost figures.

3. Focus on testing and validation: Plans that haven't been tested are just expensive documentation.

4. Consider modern threat landscapes: Ensure your DR plan addresses ransomware and cyber threats, not just traditional disasters.

5. Understand total cost of ownership: DR is an ongoing investment, not a one-time purchase.

6. Verify external dependencies: Your DR plan is only as strong as its weakest external dependency.

7. Ensure clear communication and decision-making: Technology recovery is useless without effective coordination and communication.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often should I review our disaster recovery capabilities with my IT team? A: At minimum, conduct quarterly high-level reviews and annual comprehensive assessments. However, review immediately after any significant business changes, new system implementations, or after any actual incidents.

Q: What if my IT team can't answer these questions clearly? A: This indicates gaps in your DR planning that need immediate attention. Consider bringing in external DR consultants to assess your current state and help develop proper capabilities.

Q: Should I be involved in DR testing, or is this purely an IT function? A: You should definitely be involved, at least as an observer. DR testing often reveals business process issues that IT teams can't identify on their own. Your involvement also demonstrates the business criticality of these exercises.

Q: How do I know if our current DR investment is appropriate for our business? A: Compare your DR costs to your calculated downtime costs. If an hour of downtime costs $50,000 but you're spending only $10,000 annually on DR, you're likely underinvesting. Conversely, if your DR costs exceed potential downtime costs, you may be over-investing.

Q: What's the difference between backup and disaster recovery? A: Backup is copying data for protection; disaster recovery is the complete process of restoring operations after a disruption. Think of backup as having spare tires in your trunk, while DR is the entire process of changing the tire, getting back on the road, and reaching your destination safely.

Take Action: Strengthen Your DR Posture Today

Don't wait for a disaster to discover gaps in your organization's recovery capabilities. Schedule a comprehensive DR review with your IT team using the questions outlined above. If your team struggles to provide clear, confident answers, it's time to consider partnering with disaster recovery specialists who can help bridge the gap between technical capabilities and business requirements.

Remember, disaster recovery isn't an IT problem—it's a business survival strategy. By asking the right questions and demanding clear answers, you're taking a crucial step toward protecting your organization's future.

Ready to evaluate your disaster recovery capabilities? Contact Crispy Umbrella today for a comprehensive DR assessment that speaks your language—business results, not technical jargon.