How to conduct a DNN disaster recovery drill

A DNN disaster recovery drill is a controlled rehearsal of the steps needed to restore a DotNetNuke service after a serious outage, ransomware event, or data loss. It tests whether people, procedures, backups, and suppliers can bring critical functions back within agreed limits.

The aim extends beyond merely restoring a homepage. The exercise should prove that users can log in, protected content is intact, key modules work, and business transactions can continue safely. Aricie’s DNN expertise, custom development, and professional training make these dependencies visible before a real incident exposes them.

Australian conditions deserve attention. Perth runs at UTC+8, Brisbane at UTC+10, while Sydney and Melbourne shift between UTC+10 and UTC+11, so responses often cross several working schedules. Hybrid teams, BYOD, and staff working from home or client sites add more access paths. These realities are common for Australian businesses using DNN through local hosting and managed-service partners.

Set recovery objectives and scope

Begin with service-level objectives. Define the recovery time objective for each DNN service, such as authentication, publishing, enquiry forms, and customer portals. Establish a recovery point objective that states how much data can be lost, then identify which functions must operate before others are restored.

For covered organisations handling personal information, map escalation procedures to the Privacy Act 1988 and the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, along with applicable state, territory, and contractual duties. The ASD Essential Eight can provide a control benchmark for backups, access management, and incident response. Document what the exercise will test, which systems are out of scope, and when it must stop.

Map dependencies and recovery assets

Create a recovery inventory covering the DNN database, uploaded files, configuration, extensions, encryption keys, identity providers, and external integrations. If modules such as Acoléa, Adylic, AricieGrid, or Budg-Immos are deployed, record their data, settings, and third-party interfaces separately.

Confirm that backups can actually support the agreed objectives. Protect copies from alteration or deletion, retain at least one isolated copy, and test restoration rather than relying on backup-job success messages. Record who holds database credentials, encryption keys, cloud access, and hosting-provider contacts, since missing authority can delay every subsequent recovery step.

Design a realistic exercise

Select a plausible scenario with clear business consequences. A ransomware infection, deleted production database, failed hosting migration, or corrupted encryption key will each reveal different weaknesses. Combine one primary failure with a secondary challenge, such as an unavailable supplier or an administrator locked out during restoration.

Designate participants as facilitators, observers, business owners, technical responders, and communications staff. Give them a start time, injected events, expected decisions, and measurable success criteria. Never use live customer data, disrupt production services, or perform unauthorised actions. A safe rehearsal must still test judgement rather than simply following a prepared script.

Prepare people and communications

Assign clear ownership for every stage, from detection through verification and customer notification. Technical responders need current runbooks, access credentials, recovery media, and vendor contact details. Business owners should decide which functions receive priority when restoration cannot finish within the expected window.

Prepare a communication plan that accounts for Australian time zones and hybrid staff. Name a primary incident lead, an alternate spokesperson, and the people authorised to contact customers, regulators, insurers, and suppliers. Teams can adapt the incident response checklist to record decisions, timestamps, approvals, and outstanding questions in one shared location.

Run and observe the recovery

Start the exercise with a simulated alert, then have the team follow its normal detection and escalation path. Record how long it takes to recognise the incident, appoint a lead, establish command, and decide whether recovery or continuity measures should begin. Resist helping participants find procedures they should already know; the resulting delays are valuable evidence.

Observe the restoration from a separate logbook while responders work. Track database recovery, file restoration, configuration checks, key availability, login testing, and business-function validation. Compare each milestone with the recovery objectives, and record deviations, workarounds, manual steps, and dependencies on third parties. Preserve evidence without interrupting participants with excessive commentary.

Capture evidence and assign actions

A drill creates evidence that should survive the people and pressures of the event. Capture concise records of performance, failures, decisions, and control gaps.

Evidence reviewed

• Detection and declaration timestamps
• Restored functions and data checks
• Recovery-time and recovery-point results
• Failures, delays, and missing evidence

Actions confirmed

• Revised recovery objectives and priorities
• Backup, access, and monitoring changes
• Owners, deadlines, and validation tasks
• Date for the next exercise

Separate genuine control failures from gaps caused by unfamiliar procedures or unclear authority. Enter material findings in the business continuity register, assign an accountable owner, and set a completion date. Validate critical fixes through targeted testing so the organisation does not rely on an untested revision for its next genuine incident.

Make the exercise part of business continuity

A useful exercise produces updated runbooks, clearer responsibilities, and evidence that critical backups can be restored. Schedule recurring DNN recovery testing, including scenarios involving unavailable administrators, supplier failures, and expired credentials. Include new personnel and recently deployed modules so the process remains aligned with the actual environment.

Aricie’s DNN specialists in Mureils, Paris, Lyon, and Grenoble can work alongside your Australian hosting provider or managed-service partner to define objectives, rehearse the recovery path, and refine operational procedures. Contact Aricie to scope a tailored DNN recovery exercise and professional training for your team.