Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Program
Led the end-to-end design and implementation of an enterprise-wide Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity program within a PCI-regulated payments environment. Established a unified resilience framework aligning compliance, operations, and cross-functional teams to ensure coordinated response and rapid recovery during critical incidents.
This initiative transformed fragmented risk practices into a structured, audit-ready system, strengthening organizational resilience and operational continuity.
Context
The organization operated in a PCI-regulated payments environment with fragmented disaster recovery and business continuity practices. Ownership was unclear, documentation was inconsistent, and processes were not fully aligned to SOC 2 and PCI DSS requirements creating operational and audit risk.
Objective
Design and operationalize a unified, enterprise-wide resilience program that strengthens incident response, ensures compliance, and enables coordinated recovery across systems, teams, and third-party dependencies.
Strategy & Approach
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Conducted enterprise-wide risk and gap assessment
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Mapped current practices to SOC 2 and PCI DSS controls
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Designed a centralized DR/BC framework integrating people, process, and technology
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Established governance, escalation structures, and testing protocols
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Partnered cross-functionally with IT, Security, Compliance, and Operations
Anticipated Risks & Mitigation Strategy
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Fragmented ownership across teams was mitigated by implementing a clear RACI model and incident command structure with defined escalation paths
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Compliance gaps were addressed through control mapping and audit-ready documentation with traceability
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Low engagement in testing was mitigated by introducing scenario-based simulations tied to real business impact and leadership visibility
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Third-party and offshore dependencies were integrated into recovery plans with SLA expectations and participation in testing cycles
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Crisis communication breakdowns were prevented through predefined templates, centralized communication hubs, and assigned executive communication leads
Key Solutions & Innovations
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Built a centralized resilience ecosystem replacing siloed recovery efforts
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Introduced real-world simulation testing across critical scenarios
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Developed a Hurricane Preparedness Program and live Confluence hub
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Integrated vendor and offshore dependencies into resilience planning
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Created audit-ready frameworks aligned to compliance standards
Results & Impact
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Delivered a fully operational, audit-ready DR/BC program aligned to SOC 2 and PCI DSS
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Improved incident response speed and clarity through defined ownership
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Increased enterprise readiness through structured testing and simulations
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Strengthened cross-functional alignment and risk visibility
Leadership Takeaway
Resilience becomes real when ownership, communication, and compliance operate as one system—not separate efforts.