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# VAPORA Business Continuity Plan

Strategic plan for maintaining business operations during and after disaster events.

## Purpose & Scope

Purpose: Minimize business impact during service disruptions

Scope:

- Service availability targets
- Incident response procedures
- Communication protocols
- Recovery priorities
- Business impact assessment

Owner: Operations Team Review Frequency: Quarterly Last Updated: 2026-01-12

## Business Impact Analysis

### Service Criticality

Tier 1 - Critical:

- Backend API (projects, tasks, agents)
- SurrealDB (all user data)
- Authentication system
- Health monitoring

Tier 2 - Important:

- Frontend UI
- Agent orchestration
- LLM routing

Tier 3 - Optional:

- Analytics
- Logging aggregation
- Monitoring dashboards

### Recovery Priorities

Phase 1 (First 30 minutes):

1. Backend API availability
2. Database connectivity
3. User authentication

Phase 2 (Next 30 minutes): 4. Frontend UI access 5. Agent services 6. Core functionality

Phase 3 (Next 2 hours): 7. All features 8. Monitoring/alerting 9. Analytics/logging

## Service Level Targets

### Availability Targets

    Monthly Uptime Target: 99.9%
    - Allowed downtime: ~43 minutes/month
    - Current status: 99.95% (last quarter)

    Weekly Uptime Target: 99.9%
    - Allowed downtime: ~6 minutes/week

    Daily Uptime Target: 99.8%
    - Allowed downtime: ~17 seconds/day

### Performance Targets

    API Response Time: p99 < 500ms
    - Current: p99 = 250ms
    - Acceptable: < 500ms
    - Red alert: > 2000ms

    Error Rate: < 0.1%
    - Current: 0.05%
    - Acceptable: < 0.1%
    - Red alert: > 1%

    Database Query Time: p99 < 100ms
    - Current: p99 = 75ms
    - Acceptable: < 100ms
    - Red alert: > 500ms

### Recovery Objectives

    RPO (Recovery Point Objective): 1 hour
    - Maximum data loss acceptable: 1 hour
    - Backup frequency: Hourly

    RTO (Recovery Time Objective): 4 hours
    - Time to restore full service: 4 hours
    - Critical services (Tier 1): 30 minutes

## Incident Response Workflow

### Severity Classification

Level 1 - Critical 🔴

- Service completely unavailable
- All users affected
- RPO: 1 hour, RTO: 30 minutes
- Response: Immediate activation of DR procedures

Level 2 - Major 🟠

- Service significantly degraded

- > 50% users affected or critical path broken

- RPO: 2 hours, RTO: 1 hour
- Response: Activate incident response team

Level 3 - Minor 🟡

- Service partially unavailable
- <50% users affected
- RPO: 4 hours, RTO: 2 hours
- Response: Alert on-call engineer

Level 4 - Informational 🟢

- Service available but with issues
- No user impact
- Response: Document in ticket

### Response Team Activation

Level 1 Response (Disaster Declaration):

    Immediately notify:
      - CTO (@cto)
      - VP Operations (@ops-vp)
      - Incident Commander (assign)
      - Database Team (@dba)
      - Infrastructure Team (@infra)

    Activate:
      - 24/7 incident command center
      - Continuous communication (every 2 min)
      - Status page updates (every 5 min)
      - Executive briefings (every 30 min)

    Resources:
      - All on-call staff activated
      - Contractors/consultants if needed
      - Executive decision makers available

## Communication Plan

### Stakeholders & Audiences

Audience | Notification | Frequency
--- | --- | ---
Internal Team | Slack #incident-critical | Every 2 minutes
Customers | Status page + email | Every 5 minutes
Executives | Direct call/email | Every 30 minutes
Support Team | Slack + email | Initial + every 10 min
Partners | Email + phone | Initial + every 1 hour

### Communication Templates

Initial Notification (to be sent within 5 minutes of incident):

    INCIDENT ALERT - VAPORA SERVICE DISRUPTION

    Status: [Active/Investigating]
    Severity: Level [1-4]
    Affected Services: [List]
    Time Detected: [UTC]
    Impact: [X] customers, [Y]% of functionality

    Current Actions:
    - [Action 1]
    - [Action 2]
    - [Action 3]

    Expected Update: [Time + 5 min]

    Support Contact: [Email/Phone]

Ongoing Status Updates (every 5-10 minutes for Level 1):

    INCIDENT UPDATE

    Severity: Level [1-4]
    Duration: [X] minutes
    Impact: [Latest status]

    What We've Learned:
    - [Finding 1]
    - [Finding 2]

    What We're Doing:
    - [Action 1]
    - [Action 2]

    Estimated Recovery: [Time/ETA]

    Next Update: [+5 minutes]

Resolution Notification:

    INCIDENT RESOLVED

    Service: VAPORA [All systems restored]
    Duration: [X hours] [Y minutes]
    Root Cause: [Brief description]
    Data Loss: [None/X transactions]

    Impact Summary:
    - Users affected: [X]
    - Revenue impact: $[X]

    Next Steps:
    - Root cause analysis (scheduled for [date])
    - Preventive measures (to be implemented by [date])
    - Post-incident review ([date])

    We apologize for the disruption and appreciate your patience.

## Alternative Operating Procedures

### Degraded Mode Operations

If Tier 1 services are available but Tier 2-3 degraded:

    DEGRADED MODE PROCEDURES

    Available:
    ✓ Create/update projects
    ✓ Create/update tasks
    ✓ View dashboard (read-only)
    ✓ Basic API access

    Unavailable:
    ✗ Advanced search
    ✗ Analytics
    ✗ Agent orchestration (can queue, won't execute)
    ✗ Real-time updates

    User Communication:
    - Notify via status page
    - Email affected users
    - Provide timeline for restoration
    - Suggest workarounds

### Manual Operations

If automation fails:

    MANUAL BACKUP PROCEDURES

    If automated backups unavailable:

    1. Database Backup:
       kubectl exec pod/surrealdb -- surreal export ... > backup.sql
       aws s3 cp backup.sql s3://manual-backups/

    2. Configuration Backup:
       kubectl get configmap -n vapora -o yaml > config.yaml
       aws s3 cp config.yaml s3://manual-backups/

    3. Manual Deployment (if automation down):
       kubectl apply -f manifests/
       kubectl rollout status deployment/vapora-backend

    Performed by: [Name]
    Time: [UTC]
    Verified by: [Name]

## Resource Requirements

### Personnel

    Required Team (Level 1 Incident):
    - Incident Commander (1): Directs response
    - Database Specialist (1): Database recovery
    - Infrastructure Specialist (1): Infrastructure/K8s
    - Operations Engineer (1): Monitoring/verification
    - Communications Lead (1): Stakeholder updates
    - Executive Sponsor (1): Decision making

    Total: 6 people minimum

    Available 24/7:
    - On-call rotations cover all time zones
    - Escalation to backup personnel if needed

### Infrastructure

    Required Infrastructure (Minimum):
    - Primary data center: 99.5% uptime SLA
    - Backup data center: Available within 2 hours
    - Network: Redundant connectivity, 99.9% SLA
    - Storage: Geo-redundant, 99.99% durability
    - Communication: Slack, email, phone all operational

    Failover Targets:
    - Alternate cloud region: Pre-configured
    - On-prem backup: Tested quarterly
    - Third-party hosting: As last resort

### Technology Stack

    Essential Systems:
    ✓ kubectl (Kubernetes CLI)
    ✓ AWS CLI (S3, EC2 management)
    ✓ Git (code access)
    ✓ Email/Slack (communication)
    ✓ VPN (access to infrastructure)
    ✓ Backup storage (accessible from anywhere)

    Testing Requirements:
    - Test failover: Quarterly
    - Test restore: Monthly
    - Update tools: Annually

## Escalation Paths

### Escalation Decision Tree

    Initial Alert
        ↓
    Can on-call resolve within 15 minutes?
      YES → Proceed with resolution
      NO → Escalate to Level 2
        ↓
    Can Level 2 team resolve within 30 minutes?
      YES → Proceed with resolution
      NO → Escalate to Level 3
        ↓
    Can Level 3 team resolve within 1 hour?
      YES → Proceed with resolution
      NO → Activate full DR procedures
        ↓
    Incident Commander takes full control
    All personnel mobilized
    Executive decision making engaged

### Contact Escalation

    Level 1 (On-Call):
    - Primary: [Name] [Phone]
    - Backup: [Name] [Phone]
    - Response SLA: 5 minutes

    Level 2 (Senior Engineer):
    - Primary: [Name] [Phone]
    - Backup: [Name] [Phone]
    - Response SLA: 15 minutes

    Level 3 (Management):
    - Engineering Manager: [Name] [Phone]
    - Operations Manager: [Name] [Phone]
    - Response SLA: 30 minutes

    Executive (CTO/VP):
    - CTO: [Name] [Phone]
    - VP Operations: [Name] [Phone]
    - Response SLA: 15 minutes

## Business Continuity Testing

### Test Schedule

    Monthly:
    - Backup restore test (data only)
    - Alert notification test
    - Contact list verification

    Quarterly:
    - Full disaster recovery drill
    - Failover to alternate region
    - Complete service recovery simulation

    Annually:
    - Full comprehensive BCP review
    - Stakeholder review and sign-off
    - Update based on lessons learned

### Monthly Test Procedure

    def monthly_bc_test [] {
      print "=== Monthly Business Continuity Test ==="

      # 1. Backup test
      print "Testing backup restore..."
      # (See backup strategy procedures)

      # 2. Notification test
      print "Testing incident notifications..."
      send_test_alert()  # All team members get alert

      # 3. Verify contacts
      print "Verifying contact information..."
      # Call/text one contact per team

      # 4. Document results
      print "Test complete"
      # Record: All tests passed / Issues found
    }

### Quarterly Disaster Drill

    def quarterly_dr_drill [] {
      print "=== Quarterly Disaster Recovery Drill ==="

      # 1. Declare simulated disaster
      declare_simulated_disaster("database-corruption")

      # 2. Activate team
      notify_team()
      activate_incident_command()

      # 3. Execute recovery procedures
      # Restore from backup, redeploy services

      # 4. Measure timings
      record_rto()  # Recovery Time Objective
      record_rpa()  # Recovery Point Objective

      # 5. Debrief
      print "Comparing results to targets:"
      print "RTO Target: 4 hours"
      print "RTO Actual: [X] hours"
      print "RPA Target: 1 hour"
      print "RPA Actual: [X] minutes"

      # 6. Identify improvements
      record_improvements()
    }

## Key Contacts & Resources

### 24/7 Contact Directory

    TIER 1 - IMMEDIATE RESPONSE
    Position: On-Call Engineer
    Name: [Rotating roster]
    Primary Phone: [Number]
    Backup Phone: [Number]
    Slack: @on-call

    TIER 2 - SENIOR SUPPORT
    Position: Senior Database Engineer
    Name: [Name]
    Phone: [Number]
    Slack: @[name]

    TIER 3 - MANAGEMENT
    Position: Operations Manager
    Name: [Name]
    Phone: [Number]
    Slack: @[name]

    EXECUTIVE ESCALATION
    Position: CTO
    Name: [Name]
    Phone: [Number]
    Slack: @[name]

### Critical Resources

    Documentation:
    - Disaster Recovery Runbook: /docs/disaster-recovery/
    - Backup Procedures: /docs/disaster-recovery/backup-strategy.md
    - Database Recovery: /docs/disaster-recovery/database-recovery-procedures.md
    - This BCP: /docs/disaster-recovery/business-continuity-plan.md

    Access:
    - Backup S3 bucket: s3://vapora-backups/
    - Secondary infrastructure: [Details]
    - GitHub repository access: [Details]

    Tools:
    - kubectl config: ~/.kube/config
    - AWS credentials: Stored in secure vault
    - Slack access: [Workspace]
    - Email access: [Details]

## Review & Approval

### BCP Sign-Off

    By signing below, stakeholders acknowledge they have reviewed
    and understand this Business Continuity Plan.

    CTO: _________________ Date: _________
    VP Operations: _________________ Date: _________
    Engineering Manager: _________________ Date: _________
    Database Team Lead: _________________ Date: _________

    Next Review Date: [Quarterly from date above]

## BCP Maintenance

### Quarterly Review Process

1. Schedule Review (3 weeks before expiration)

   - Calendar reminder sent
   - Team members notified

2. Assess Changes

   - Any new services deployed?
   - Any team changes?
   - Any incidents learned from?
   - Any process improvements?

3. Update Document

   - Add new procedures if needed
   - Update contact information
   - Revise recovery objectives if needed

4. Conduct Drill

   - Test updated procedures
   - Measure against objectives
   - Document results

5. Stakeholder Review

   - Present updates to team
   - Get approval signatures
   - Communicate to organization

### Annual Comprehensive Review

1. Full Strategic Review

   - Are recovery objectives still valid?
   - Has business changed?
   - Are we meeting RTO/RPA consistently?

2. Process Improvements

   - What worked well in past year?
   - What could be improved?
   - Any new technologies available?

3. Team Feedback

   - Gather feedback from recent incidents
   - Get input from operations team
   - Consider lessons learned

4. Update and Reapprove

   - Revise critical sections
   - Update all contact information
   - Get new stakeholder approvals

## Summary

Business Continuity at a Glance:

Metric | Target | Status
--- | --- | ---
RTO | 4 hours | On track
RPA | 1 hour | On track
Monthly uptime | 99.9% | 99.95%
Backup frequency | Hourly | Hourly
Restore test | Monthly | Monthly
DR drill | Quarterly | Quarterly

Key Success Factors:

1. ✅ Regular testing (monthly backups, quarterly drills)
2. ✅ Clear roles & responsibilities
3. ✅ Updated contact information
4. ✅ Well-documented procedures
5. ✅ Stakeholder engagement
6. ✅ Continuous improvement

Next Review: [Date + 3 months]