Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery in GCC High: Planning for the Unexpected
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery in GCC High: Planning for the Unexpected
Blog Article
Government contractors must be prepared to continue operations during unexpected events—whether it’s a cyberattack, a natural disaster, or a system failure. In Microsoft GCC High, where Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is stored and processed, business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) planning is both a compliance requirement and a critical safeguard.
This article outlines how to approach BC/DR planning within GCC High, and how expert-led GCC High migration services help organizations architect resilient environments from the start.
1. Understand the Compliance Mandates
Frameworks like NIST 800-171 and CMMC require:
Contingency planning (CP) for CUI systems
Regular data backups and restoration testing
Defined roles and responsibilities for recovery scenarios
✅ These mandates aren’t optional—they must be documented, tested, and enforced.
2. Implement Built-In Microsoft 365 Resilience Features
GCC High includes:
Geo-redundancy for Exchange Online, SharePoint, and Teams
Automatic failover within U.S.-based datacenters
Data versioning and retention through Microsoft Purview and OneDrive
✅ These features provide a strong foundation, but they’re not a full DR solution on their own.
3. Plan for Custom Workloads and Hybrid Infrastructure
If your environment includes:
On-premise systems
Azure Government IaaS or PaaS workloads
Integrated third-party apps
Then you need tailored recovery plans:
Replicate VMs and critical services using Azure Site Recovery
Create offline data exports for CUI
Develop cold or warm backup strategies for line-of-business applications
✅ GCC High migration services assess hybrid infrastructure and design holistic BC/DR architectures.
4. Test and Document Your Recovery Plans
Annual (or more frequent) testing should include:
Simulated data loss or ransomware events
User reauthentication and access reconfiguration
Evaluation of backup integrity and RPO/RTO metrics
✅ Testing ensures plans are not only compliant—but actually effective.
5. Train Staff and Communicate Clearly
People are the most unpredictable part of any continuity plan. Be sure to:
Train staff on failover procedures and communication trees
Use secure channels for emergency notifications
Review BC/DR roles as part of employee onboarding
✅ Clear, tested processes help minimize confusion during a crisis.