Quick Answer (TL;DR)
This free PowerPoint template structures your disaster recovery program. RTO/RPO targets for every critical system, backup strategies, failover architecture, runbook development, and a testing calendar. Each system gets a recovery tier, a tested restoration procedure, and a named owner. Download the .pptx, map your infrastructure stack, and build a DR plan that has been validated before it needs to be executed.
What This Template Includes
- Cover slide. Organization name, DR plan version, last successful failover test date, and DR program owner.
- Instructions slide. How to classify systems by recovery tier, define RTO/RPO targets, and structure failover tests. Remove before distributing to auditors or customers.
- System recovery matrix slide. A table listing each system, its recovery tier (Tier 1-4), RTO, RPO, backup method, failover type (hot/warm/cold), last test date, and owner.
- DR architecture slide. A visual diagram showing primary and secondary infrastructure, replication paths, DNS failover configuration, and the recovery sequence dependencies.
- Filled example slide. A SaaS product's DR plan: primary database with synchronous replication (RTO: 15 min, RPO: 0), application servers in a hot standby region (RTO: 5 min), object storage with cross-region replication (RTO: 30 min), and monitoring stack on a separate provider (RTO: 1 hour).
Why Disaster Recovery Needs a Roadmap
DR plans fail for two reasons: they are either untested or outdated. A document written 18 months ago describing infrastructure that has since been re-architected twice is not a plan. It is a liability that creates false confidence.
The roadmap format forces DR from a static document into a living program. Each quarter has specific deliverables: new systems added to the recovery matrix, failover procedures written and tested, backup restoration verified, and the architecture diagram updated. When leadership asks "are we ready for a regional outage?" the answer is on a slide with a test date next to it.
DR is also a prerequisite for compliance and enterprise sales. SOC 2 Type II auditors want to see tested failover procedures. Enterprise procurement teams ask for RTO/RPO commitments. Having these on a slide deck with documented test results is the fastest way to clear security reviews and close deals.
Template Structure
System Recovery Matrix
The matrix is the core of the DR plan. Every system that supports the product is listed with:
- Recovery tier. Tier 1 (must recover in minutes, zero data loss), Tier 2 (recover in hours, minimal data loss), Tier 3 (recover in a day, up to 24 hours data loss), Tier 4 (recover when convenient).
- RTO. The maximum acceptable downtime for this system after a disaster declaration.
- RPO. The maximum acceptable data loss, which dictates the backup/replication strategy.
- Backup method. Continuous replication, hourly snapshots, daily backups, or archive-only.
- Failover type. Hot standby (always running, automatic failover), warm standby (running but requires manual switch), or cold standby (must be provisioned and restored from backup).
- Last test date. When the failover procedure was last validated. If this column is empty, the procedure is untested.
Architecture Diagram
The diagram slide shows how primary and secondary infrastructure connect. Replication paths, DNS configuration, load balancer rules, and the manual steps required for failover are all visible in one view. This slide answers the question engineers ask during a real disaster: "what do I do first, and what depends on what?"
Testing Calendar
A quarterly grid shows scheduled failover tests: which systems, what type of test (tabletop, partial failover, full region switchover), and results. The change failure rate metric helps quantify whether DR improvements are actually reducing risk over time.
How to Use This Template
1. Inventory every system in your production stack
List databases, application servers, message queues, caches, CDN, DNS, monitoring, logging, CI/CD, and any third-party services your product depends on. Most teams miss ancillary systems. The secrets manager, the certificate authority, the email delivery service. If it is in the critical path and it goes down, it belongs in the matrix.
2. Set RTO and RPO targets per system
Work backward from business requirements, not forward from technical capability. If your payment system goes down, how long until you start losing revenue? That is your RTO. How much transaction data can you lose without creating accounting problems? That is your RPO. The business continuity roadmap template covers the broader business impact analysis that feeds these targets.
3. Design the failover architecture
For Tier 1 systems, implement hot standby with automatic failover. For Tier 2, warm standby with documented manual procedures. For Tier 3 and 4, cold standby or backup restoration is sufficient. The cost difference between hot and cold standby is significant. Spend the budget where the RTO demands it.
4. Write runbooks and test them quarterly
Every failover procedure needs a runbook: step-by-step instructions that an on-call engineer can follow at 3 AM without prior context. Test runbooks quarterly. Time the restoration. Verify data integrity after failover. Document what broke and fix it before the next test. A runbook that has never been executed under pressure will fail when it matters.
When to Use This Template
A disaster recovery roadmap is the right tool when:
- Your product serves customers who expect high availability and you need documented RTO/RPO commitments
- SOC 2, ISO 27001, or HIPAA compliance requires evidence of tested disaster recovery procedures
- Your infrastructure spans multiple services (databases, caches, queues, third-party APIs) that each need their own recovery strategy
- You are migrating to a new cloud region or provider and need to redesign your failover architecture
- Leadership wants assurance that a single-region outage will not take down the entire product
If your DR needs are part of a broader business continuity program covering people and processes alongside technology, start with the business continuity template. If your focus is specifically on security incidents rather than infrastructure disasters, the security roadmap template is more targeted.
Key Takeaways
- Every system in the recovery matrix needs an RTO, RPO, failover type, and a last-tested date. Empty test date columns indicate untested procedures.
- RTO and RPO are business decisions that drive technical architecture. Set them based on revenue impact and contractual obligations, then engineer to meet them.
- Hot standby for Tier 1, warm standby for Tier 2, and cold standby for Tier 3/4. Spend the budget where downtime costs the most.
- Runbooks must be tested under realistic conditions. An untested runbook at 3 AM is a recipe for extended downtime.
- Update the DR plan after every infrastructure change. A plan that describes last year's architecture creates dangerous false confidence.
- Compatible with Google Slides, Keynote, and LibreOffice Impress. Upload the
.pptxto Google Drive to edit collaboratively in your browser.