Iraqi businesses rely heavily on technology to operate. Whether your organization is in Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, Najaf, or Mosul, your data and systems must stay available for operations to run smoothly. When a critical system fails, the impact can be immediate, from halted logistics and delayed customer service to financial loss and reputational damage.
A well-structured Disaster Recovery (DR) plan ensures your organization can recover quickly from unexpected events such as server failures, ransomware attacks, human error, power surges, or natural incidents. Unfortunately, many companies in Iraq either have no DR plan or rely on outdated, undocumented procedures that may not work when needed most.
In this article, Osous Al Taqnia outlines how Iraqi businesses can build a practical, effective DR plan with steps, real-life context, and recommendations based on our hands-on experience across different industries.
What Is a Disaster Recovery Plan?
A Disaster Recovery (DR) plan is a documented strategy that explains how your business will:
- Restore IT systems
- Recover critical data
- Resume operations
- Minimize downtime
- Protect customer trust
It is a key part of business continuity and top-tier cybersecurity preparedness.
Why Iraqi Companies Need Disaster Recovery
Iraq’s business environment faces unique risks:
- Unstable power conditions
- Hardware failure due to heat or dust
- Increasing cyberattacks and ransomware
- Limited internal IT resources
- Legacy systems that cannot be quickly rebuilt
- Operational interruptions in logistics, oil & gas, banking, and telecom
Without a DR plan, even a small incident can cause widespread disruption.
A Construction Firm in Erbil Recovers in 4 Hours
A construction company operating across Erbil and Duhok experienced a major system failure.
The problem
- A storage controller malfunction corrupted their project management server
- Employees could not access drawings, documents, or financial reports
- The company had a basic backup but no recovery plan
- Internal teams were unsure what to restore first or where the backup was stored
What Osous Al Taqnia did
We followed a structured recovery process:
- Identified the most critical services
- Recovered project files from cloud backup
- Launched a temporary virtual server to replace damaged hardware
- Documented the recovery steps for future incidents
- Designed a full DR plan with Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO)
Outcome
- Operations were restored in under 4 hours
- Team gained a step-by-step recovery guide
- Management achieved better resilience and operational confidence
This example shows how preparation dramatically reduces downtime.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Build a Disaster Recovery Plan
Step 1: Identify Critical Systems and Data
Not all systems have the same importance. Begin by identifying:
- Core applications (ERP, CRM, finance)
- File servers
- Email systems
- Cloud services
- Customer databases
- Operational apps (logistics, HR, manufacturing, banking)
Questions to answer
- Which systems must be restored first?
- What data is essential for daily operations?
- What systems can tolerate downtime?
This helps prioritize recovery tasks.
Step 2: Define RTO and RPO
RTO (Recovery Time Objective)
How long can a system be down before it harms the business?
For example:
- Email: 4 hours
- ERP: 2 hours
- File server: 8 hours
RPO (Recovery Point Objective)
How much data loss is acceptable?
Examples:
- ERP: max 15 minutes
- File server: 1 hour
- Email: 30 minutes
These values guide your backup and replication strategy.
Step 3: Implement the Right Backup Strategy
A DR plan depends on your backup. We recommend the 3-2-1 rule:
- 3 copies of your data
- 2 different storage types
- 1 copy offsite
Options for Iraqi businesses
- Local NAS
- Azure Backup
- Veeam Cloud Connect
- Immutable storage
- Offline or air-gapped backups
Backup without off-site replication is no longer safe due to ransomware.
Step 4: Choose a Recovery Method
Your DR plan must specify how to restore systems.
Common recovery methods
- Restore to a temporary virtual server
- Rebuild applications on-premises
- Restore data to cloud servers (Azure/AWS)
- Activate a failover site
- Standby infrastructure
A logistics company in Basra may prefer cloud failover, while an oil facility in Kirkuk may require an on-premises DR site.
Step 5: Document the Recovery Procedures
Your DR document should include:
- Step-by-step recovery instructions
- Backup repository locations
- Admin credentials (securely stored)
- Verification procedures
- Communication flow during the incident
- Vendor contacts
- Hardware diagrams
- Application configuration details
Documentation is crucial for reducing confusion during emergencies.
Step 6: Assign Roles and Responsibilities
DR is not only an IT task. Each team member must know:
- Who declares a disaster
- Who initiates DR procedures
- Who communicates with employees
- Who approves service restoration
- Who verifies restored systems
A clear chain of command avoids delays.
Step 7: Test the Plan Regularly
A DR plan is only effective if tested.
Test examples
- File restoration
- Database recovery
- Virtual machine failover
- Switching operations to a secondary site
- Restoring cloud backups
Testing reveals gaps and ensures the team is prepared.
DR Best Practices for Iraqi Businesses
Use Immutable Storage
Prevents ransomware from modifying backups.
Separate Backup Credentials
Admin accounts should not share access with production systems.
Secure Backup Infrastructure
Use MFA, firewall segmentation, and SOC monitoring.
Automate Backup Verification
Ensure every backup is usable.
Maintain Redundant Connectivity
Essential for logistics, banking, and office operations.
Include Cloud Applications
Microsoft 365 and SaaS apps also require backup.
How Osous Al Taqnia Helps Iraqi Companies Build DR Plans
We deliver end-to-end DR services tailored to Iraq’s business environment:
Disaster Recovery Design
- Identify risks
- Define RTO and RPO
- Map system dependencies
Backup and Replication Deployment
- Cloud and on-prem solutions
- Immutable repositories
- Automated monitoring
Failover and Failback Solutions
- Virtual DR sites
- Cloud failover
- Local DR servers
DR Runbooks and Documentation
Clear, detailed recovery instructions.
Testing and Simulations
We perform DR drills to ensure readiness.
Continuous Optimization
We update the plan as systems grow or change.
Our team combines local expertise with global best practices to deliver practical, reliable DR frameworks for Iraqi businesses.
Start Building Your DR Plan Today
If your business does not have a documented, tested disaster recovery plan, you are exposed to unnecessary risk. Book a consultation with our data protection experts
Osous Al Taqnia is ready to help your organization stay resilient, secure, and operational even in the face of unexpected disruptions.
