<P> Processing and operations are analyzed to determine the maximum amount of time that the department and organization can operate without each critical system . This will later get mapped into the Recovery Time Objective . A critical system is defined as that which is part of a system or procedure necessary to continue operations should a department, computer center, main facility or a combination of these be destroyed or become inaccessible . A method used to determine the critical needs of a department is to document all the functions performed by each department . Once the primary functions have been identified, the operations and processes are then ranked in order of priority: essential, important and non-essential . </P> <P> During this phase, the most practical alternatives for processing in case of a disaster are researched and evaluated . All aspects of the organization are considered, including physical facilities, computer hardware and software, communications links, data files and databases, customer services provided, user operations, the overall management information systems (MIS) structure, end - user systems, and any other processing operations . </P> <P> Alternatives, dependent upon the evaluation of the computer function, may include: hot sites, warm sites, cold sites, reciprocal agreements, the provision of more than one data center, the installation and deployment of multiple computer system, duplication of service center, consortium arrangements, lease of equipment, and any combinations of the above . </P> <P> Written agreements for the specific recovery alternatives selected are prepared, specifying contract duration, termination conditions, system testing, cost, any special security procedures, procedure for the notification of system changes, hours of operation, the specific hardware and other equipment required for processing, personnel requirements, definition of the circumstances constituting an emergency, process to negotiate service extensions, guarantee of compatibility, availability, non-mainframe resource requirements, priorities, and other contractual issues . </P>

An effective it disaster recovery plan would include which of the following