MVC BLUEPRINTS BEFORE BACKUPS: BUILDING YOUR MODERN RECOVERY MODEL

MVC BLUEPRINTS BEFORE BACKUPS: BUILDING YOUR MODERN RECOVERY MODEL

Mapping resilience around core functions, not an endless inventory
By Jeff McCue, Business & Cyber Resilience Advisor

Introduction

The MVC® (Minimum Viable Company) framework centers on defining your MVO (Minimum Viable Operation): the bare-bones outcomes you must restore under any circumstance. Traditional disaster-recovery plans balloon into exhaustive inventories; every system deemed “critical.” In today’s digital whirlwind, that “recover everything” creed becomes the enemy of speed and, potentially, the survival of your organization.

Note on Templates

Organizations that engage Copper Mountain gain full access to the MVC® Toolkit. Those building independently can assemble equivalent templates using public frameworks: see Appendix A and References for details.

The Survival Question: Defining Your MVO

When the lights go out, what processes must remain online for your organization to survive? Don’t start with servers or VMs, start with outcomes:

• Can customers log in and transact?
• Is regulatory reporting uninterrupted?
• Are key internal decisions supported?

Your answers define the Minimum Viable Operation (MVO), the bare-bones services you must restore under any circumstance.

Step 1: Identify Your Core Business Functions

Kick off with a razor-sharp Business Impact Analysis (BIA):

Mini-Case: A mid-sized credit union trimmed its recovery scope by 80%, slashed restore time from 72 hours to 4 hours, and cut DR hosting costs by $200 K annually.

Step 2: Map Operational Workflows

Turn priorities into visual flowcharts:

• Develop Process Maps
  Show how teams, apps, and data interact for each MVO function
• Define Integration Points
  Tie every DNS switch, database failover, or API call to a core function

This visual blueprint keeps IT, compliance, and business teams in lockstep when it’s go-time.

Step 3: Deploy Application-First Recovery

MVC rejects the “infrastructure-first” relic: recovery must be measured by application continuity.

• Set Per-App RPOs/RTOs
  e.g., 15 minutes for authentication; 1 hour for transaction processing
• Automate Failover
  Use Kubernetes (Amazon EKS, Azure AKS) for rapid, policy-driven switching
• Secure Your Golden Copy
  Store immutable backups in AWS S3 Object Lock (Compliance Mode) or equivalent

Now you’re restoring functions, not just spinning up servers.

Step 4: Embed Continuous Compliance & Security

Make resilience inherently compliant and secure:

• Automated Audit Trails
  AWS CloudTrail, GuardDuty, Azure Policy—every recovery action logged and timestamped
• Forensic Scanning
  Agentless off-host scans (e.g., Elastio, Veeam, Rubrik, Cohesity) to certify “clean” before restore
• Scheduled Security Drills
  Combine mock recoveries with sandbox tests (Falcon Sandbox, Azure Security Center)

Your recovery blueprint doubles as an ongoing compliance framework—ready for auditors and regulators.

Step 5: Iterate and Optimize

MVC is never “set it and forget it.” Build feedback loops that:

• Quarterly Simulation Exercises
  End-to-end drills reveal hidden dependencies
• Continuous Improvement
  Capture lessons learned to update workflows, adjust RTOs, close gaps
• Tooling Refinement
  Evaluate new services (e.g., AWS Backup Audit Manager, improved failover orchestrators)

Ongoing iteration keeps your model aligned with evolving threats and priorities.

What It Looks Like in Practice

Regional Bank Example (four survivability zones):

• Deposit access
• Mobile login
• Ledger visibility
• Regulatory communications

Fintech Example (three non-negotiables):

• Customer onboarding
• Transaction processing
• Authentication

In both cases, targeted automation and cloud failover guarantee mission-critical uptime—while everything else waits its turn.

Conclusion: Outcome-Backed Recovery

MVC isn’t about restoring every server. It’s about making only your essential functions return fast, clean, and certified:

• Identifying core functions
• Mapping workflows
• Deploying application-first recovery
• Embedding continuous security & compliance
• Iterating relentlessly

You create a recovery model that stands up to real-world crises. 

Coming Up in Blog 3

In our next post, we’ll break down how to run your first MVC® Recovery Drill—from scenario design to orchestration, audit logging, and provable metrics. This is where your blueprint meets the real world.

Next Steps & References

Next Steps

1. Finalize self-assessment with Ops, Security, and Compliance
2. Triage top three MVO functions; complete BIA + RPO/RTO scoring
3. Simulate recovery on one function; document results
4. Gather or build artifacts from public resources
5. Drill one MVC function quarterly; capture findings for improvement

References

• Sheltered Harbor Operating Rules & BIA examples
  https://shelteredharbor.org/images/SH/Docs/Sheltered-Harbor-Operating-Rules.pdf
• NIST SP 800-34 Revision 5: Contingency Planning Guide NIST SP 800-34 | NIST
• NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5: Security & Privacy Controls
  https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-53/rev-5/final

Appendix A: MVC® Toolkit

Executive Summary

The MVC® Resilience Blueprint is a zero-fluff, action-first toolkit to help organizations isolate what really matters during a disruption and execute recovery with speed, confidence, and audit-ready evidence.

Assemble this toolkit if you’re:

• Building your resilience foundation from scratch
• Preparing for regulatory review, or executive scrutiny
• Adopting Sheltered Harbor or equivalent resilience standards for certification
• Tired of theoretical frameworks that never survive contact with the real world

Toolkit Contents

How to Use This Toolkit

1. Score yourself in each domain honestly
2. Build your BIA and flag “MVO” services
3. Prioritize RPO/RTO and ownership
4. Map workflows and write the runbook
5. Lock in the loop: controls, drills, and continuous improvement

Scoring & Maturity Targets (Optional)

Resilience isn’t proven once; it’s re-earned continually. Most organizations aim for Level 3 (“Defined”) or better. If you’re below that:

• Automate only your MVO functions
• Chase provability, not completeness
• Use your drill log and improvement log to show upward trajectory

What’s Next

1. Finalize Section 1 self-assessment with Ops, Security, and Compliance leads.
2. Triage your top three MVO functions and complete BIA + RPO/RTO scoring.
3. Simulate recovery on one function—capture results, then scale.
4. Gather or build your artifacts from public resources or contact Copper Mountain.
5. Schedule at least one MVC drill; capture findings; iterate.

More Resources

• SafeHouse Initiative → https://safehouseinitiative.org/
• Copper Mountain MVC Hub → https://www.coppermountain.io/

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