What to change
Test access continuity as a separate recovery dependency. Ask the organisation to nominate appropriate backup administrators and verify that their accounts can perform the required action within the agreed control model. Keep recovery instructions in an accessible approved location, with secret material managed separately. A rehearsal should start without the usual administrator so the team discovers approval, authentication or account-recovery gaps before an actual outage depends on them.
A worked example
Illustrative example
Illustrative test: The alternate administrator locates the approved target and demonstrates the authorised recovery route. The usual administrator may be unavailable during a recovery rehearsal. An alternate signs in through their own authorised account, locates the approved target and demonstrates the required safe action. Any permission or authentication gap is recorded and resolved. The practice now has evidence of access continuity rather than a plan that depends on contacting one person or borrowing their device at the moment a public service is unavailable.
What this means for your practice
Knowing which version to restore is insufficient if the only authorised account holder cannot be reached. Nominate appropriate alternate administrators and ask them to verify the specific permissions needed for recovery. Keep instructions in an approved accessible location, with secret material managed separately. A rehearsal should begin without the usual operator so the team discovers authentication, approval or recovery gaps before an actual incident. The aim is legitimate organisational continuity, not sharing one person's password or device. Your practice should know who can act, how they reach the approved target and what support remains necessary if the normal supplier is unavailable.
How to check the result
Recovery does not rely on one person's availability or personal device.
A mistake to avoid
Sharing a password is not equivalent to tested organisational access continuity.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
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Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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