Certified: The ISACA CISA Prepcast

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A Disaster Recovery Plan has no value if it cannot be executed successfully during a real disruption. The only way to know whether a DRP works as intended is through consistent, structured testing. Testing verifies that procedures are clear, recovery steps are achievable, and teams are able to perform their roles under pressure. It also reveals gaps in technical configurations, communication chains, and the coordination of internal and external resources. Without testing, an organization is left to assume that recovery time and recovery point objectives can be met, even though many assumptions may be outdated or inaccurate. Regular testing improves operational maturity and provides valuable feedback for continuous improvement. On the CISA exam, questions about DRP testing often explore test frequency, effectiveness, and the ability to validate outcomes. Auditors are expected to confirm not just that a DRP exists, but that it has been tested under meaningful conditions.
There are several types of Disaster Recovery Plan tests that organizations can perform, each with its own purpose and level of complexity. A checklist test is the simplest form, consisting of a review of plan documentation to verify that it is accurate, complete, and current. This helps ensure that the foundational material is ready before a more advanced test is conducted. A tabletop exercise involves walking through a simulated scenario with key stakeholders, discussing responses, escalation paths, and timing without making any real changes to systems. These exercises often surface misunderstandings or role confusion. A simulation test takes the process a step further by recreating a realistic outage using test data, while maintaining the integrity of live systems. Parallel testing allows the organization to activate an alternate site and attempt to perform real operations there, without shutting down the primary site. The most comprehensive test is the full interruption test, in which production systems are deliberately shut down to validate recovery in real time. Although risky, this type of test provides the most reliable assessment of true readiness. CISA candidates should be prepared to distinguish these test types and know when each is appropriate.
Before any test is executed, detailed preparation is required to ensure it produces meaningful results and does not introduce unintended risk. The planning phase begins with defining the objectives of the test and establishing success criteria. These objectives might include confirming specific recovery timeframes, evaluating coordination between teams, or testing communication under time pressure. The scope of the test must also be set. It may involve a full organizational response or focus only on a few critical systems or departments. Roles and responsibilities must be assigned in advance, including those of observers or facilitators who will monitor the test and collect data. Notification procedures should be followed so that all impacted parties are aware, including internal departments, IT support teams, and any external vendors or service providers. The test environment must be configured to avoid disruption of live systems and ensure that data integrity is preserved. Auditors typically review these preparation steps to determine whether the test was thoughtfully designed and properly scoped.
Executing the test involves following the documented procedures step by step, while carefully monitoring the outcomes. Timing benchmarks should be observed to determine whether each stage of recovery meets expected recovery time and point objectives. Observers should document how well participants follow their roles, how quickly decisions are made, and how clearly responsibilities are understood. Any deviations from the plan should be noted, including instances where improvisation was required, workarounds were created, or steps were skipped. Communication must also be monitored, especially how information is shared between teams, escalated to decision-makers, or communicated externally. Throughout the test, a full audit trail should be maintained, capturing every action taken and every decision made. These logs become critical artifacts for both audit and improvement efforts. On the CISA exam, you may be asked to evaluate whether a test was executed effectively, whether timing goals were met, or whether the documentation supports the reported outcome.
After the test is complete, a structured post-test review must take place to capture lessons learned and determine whether changes are needed. This debrief should be attended by all major participants and facilitated by a recovery coordinator or senior risk officer. The purpose is to assess what worked well, what failed or underperformed, and what can be done better in the future. Gaps should be documented clearly. These may include missing contacts, failed recovery steps, unclear escalation paths, or technology dependencies that were not anticipated. Delays should be measured against stated recovery objectives. Where errors occurred, the root causes should be identified. Workarounds that were discovered during testing may also point to weaknesses in the current procedures. A remediation plan must be created, with action items assigned to responsible individuals and deadlines for completion. From an audit perspective, it is critical that test results lead to real updates and improvements. CISA candidates should understand how to assess whether a post-test review is structured and productive.
Evaluating the effectiveness of a Disaster Recovery Plan requires more than checking whether the test passed. Auditors must take a holistic view, examining the accuracy and clarity of the documentation, the technical feasibility of infrastructure components, and the level of training provided to recovery personnel. A DRP that is written clearly but lacks the infrastructure to support its execution is not sufficient. Similarly, recovery plans that depend on third-party services must be validated through contracts, communication drills, and joint tests. It is also important to confirm that roles are assigned, updated, and understood by everyone involved. The ability to coordinate across internal departments and with outside vendors is often the deciding factor in a real crisis. CISA exam questions may ask you to assess a DRP not based on its written procedures alone, but on whether those procedures could be realistically carried out with the current systems, teams, and partnerships in place.
The frequency of DRP testing is another critical aspect of audit and exam evaluation. As a general rule, organizations should test their Disaster Recovery Plans at least once per year. However, for systems that support critical operations or sensitive data, more frequent testing may be necessary. Additional tests are typically required after major changes, such as infrastructure upgrades, software deployments, new system launches, or office relocations. Staffing changes and new third-party relationships can also trigger the need for targeted testing. For example, if a new data center is brought online, the DRP must be tested to validate that failover systems activate properly and recovery timeframes remain acceptable. Some organizations include DRP testing in their project go-live checklist to ensure that the systems they are deploying have recovery procedures in place before being used in production. Regulatory bodies and major clients may also require evidence of recent testing as a condition of compliance or contract renewal. CISA candidates should be prepared to answer questions about how often different types of environments should be tested and what events trigger additional testing.
Documentation plays a central role in proving that DRP tests are planned, executed, and used for improvement. Organizations must maintain test plans, result summaries, issue logs, and the actions taken in response to findings. These documents form a complete testing record and must be made available during audits or regulatory reviews. Logs that show when the plan was updated, who approved the changes, and whether remediation actions were completed on time are all part of the audit trail. Evidence of lessons learned—such as team feedback, timing data, and root cause analyses—should be stored in a central location. Corrective actions should be documented not only as tasks but also with the outcomes they produced. For example, if a communication gap was identified, the new protocol must be recorded and verified. From the perspective of the CISA exam, questions may focus on what types of evidence auditors require and whether the documentation proves that the testing process is thorough and aligned with policy.
As testing progresses and the organization evolves, the Disaster Recovery Plan must be updated regularly. Every test is an opportunity to revise procedures, correct outdated information, and enhance the clarity of instructions. Updates may include changing the names or contact details of personnel, adjusting asset inventories, or revising procedures to reflect new tools or vendors. Lessons from actual incidents, recent audits, or feedback from business continuity teams should also be incorporated. Any change must be documented through formal version control processes. This means logging the change, explaining the rationale, and obtaining approval from the appropriate decision-makers. Changes to the DRP must be communicated to all impacted parties, especially those who have specific responsibilities during recovery. Plans should never be static. A DRP that has not been updated in several years, or that does not reflect recent system changes, is likely to fail when needed. Auditors will closely examine whether DRP updates are performed regularly and whether those updates are shared and acknowledged by recovery teams.
The key takeaway for CISA candidates is that tested Disaster Recovery Plans are the foundation of trust in an organization’s ability to recover. Strong testing practices go beyond compliance—they ensure that weaknesses are identified and corrected before a disaster occurs. You must know how to evaluate test coverage, execution quality, and whether the results are driving actual improvements. On the exam, expect questions that present flawed tests, outdated plans, or unclear procedures and ask you to assess what went wrong. Understanding the different types of tests and when each is appropriate will also help you answer scenario-based questions. Testing frequency, documentation practices, and post-test reviews are all central to DRP audit readiness. When auditors validate a Disaster Recovery Plan, they are not just looking for a checklist—they are ensuring that the organization is prepared to recover, communicate, and serve its stakeholders when failure is no longer hypothetical but real.
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