Disaster Recovery Plan Template – Free Download

Be prepared for IT disruptions with our free Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) template.
This document provides a structured approach for restoring systems, applications, and data after an outage or cyberattack, helping your company minimize downtime and recover critical operations quickly.

Like our Business Continuity Plan and Backup Policy, this disaster recovery plan for companies is easy to adapt and free to download. No sign-up or email address gate or other trickery involved.

What is a Disaster Recovery Plan?

A disaster recovery plan (DRP) outlines the processes and strategies an organization uses to restore IT systems and data after a disruptive event. It ensures that recovery is not left to chance but guided by predefined objectives, responsibilities, and tested procedures.

This type of plan is essential for companies that want to:

• Reduce downtime after cyber incidents, hardware failures, or natural disasters
• Meet regulatory and contractual requirements for IT continuity
• Protect against data loss with defined Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs)
• Provide clarity to IT teams and business leaders during a crisis
• Integrate disaster recovery with business continuity and incident response efforts

What’s Inside the Disaster Recovery Plan Template?

Our free disaster recovery plan template includes all the essential sections your organization needs:

• Purpose – Why the plan exists and its objectives
• Scope – Which IT systems, data, and services are covered
• Recovery Objectives – RTOs, RPOs, and system prioritization
• Disaster Recovery Strategies – Backups, replication, failover, redundancy, and third-party support
• Disaster Response & Activation – Criteria for activating recovery procedures and stakeholder notifications
• System Restoration Process – Assessment, containment, restoration, and validation
• Roles and Responsibilities – Defined accountabilities across IT, security, and business teams
• Testing & Continuous Improvement – Drills, backup tests, and lessons learned
• Plan Review and Maintenance – Ensuring updates for evolving threats and business needs

Importantly, this template includes inline comments with practical recommendations and guidance. Be sure to check the comments carefully, as they provide additional context to help you tailor the plan effectively for your organization.

Why Your Company Needs a Disaster Recovery Plan

A well-prepared disaster recovery plan for companies helps:

• Ensure critical IT systems are restored quickly and securely
• Reduce the financial and reputational impact of outages
• Provide structured guidance during chaotic situations
• Improve resilience through regular testing and drills
• Align IT recovery strategies with business priorities

Without a DRP, companies risk longer outages, higher recovery costs, and permanent damage to customer trust.

Free Disaster Recovery Plan Template Download

Download our free disaster recovery plan template and adapt it to your organization. Remember to review the embedded comments for valuable tips on tailoring the plan.

👉 Download the Disaster Recovery Plan Template Free

💡 Want more GRC insights?

Follow Kordon – the straightforward GRC platform on LinkedIn for ongoing updates, policy releases, and expert guidance.

Explore more free and customizable policy templates for companies.

Need a straightforward tool to manage policies and build out the processes and controls based on these policies? Try Kordon for free!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our founders via LinkedIn, email us or leave a comment in any of the shared templates.