Not Just For Big Brands: Why Every Business Needs a Disaster Recovery Plan

Not all disasters make headlines. For websites, it’s usually a broken plugin, a bot attack or one wrong click.

It doesn’t take much to cause real damage, either. Just a few minutes of downtime can lose you sales, frustrate customers and hurt your search rankings. And if you’re running a WordPress site - like millions of small businesses - you’re an especially tempting target.

That’s where a disaster recovery plan comes in. It’s your safety net when things go wrong. It’s a security essential, not just for big global brands with IT departments, but for any business that depends on its website.

And that means you.

If you’re signed up to Krystal’s Managed WordPress hosting, you already have us handling your updates and backups, and get built-in protection as standard - so you’re already a few steps ahead.

But even the best defences need a plan.

So, let’s explore what potential disasters your website could encounter, and what a robust recovery plan should look like.

What does a website disaster actually look like?

A disaster is anything that knocks your site offline or compromises your data - whether it’s caused by bad actors, bad luck or a simple mistake.

Here are a few common culprits:

Cyberattacks

Things like DDoS attempts (overloading your site with traffic, known as Dedicated Denial of Service attacks), brute-force logins or injection attacks aren’t just for the big players. These are everyday threats and they’re designed to either bring your site down or break their way in.

Plugin and theme issues

That one plugin you haven’t updated in months? There’s been a known security vulnerability, and the latest update patched it. But you haven’t had the time to update, which means it could be compromised.

Server or hosting failures

They’re rare, but they do happen. A fault at your provider’s end - whether it’s a hardware fault, network issue or a misconfigured update - it can take dozens of sites offline in a flash.

Human error

Deleting the wrong file. Overwriting the latest backup. Toggling a setting that shouldn’t be touched. It’s surprisingly easy to make a small change that has a big impact, especially when you're in a rush.

Data loss

From customer details to content libraries, losing important information can damage trust, disrupt operations and take hours (or days) to recover from.

And it’s not just theory. Recent real-world examples like Marks & Spencer’s online checkout failure or the Co-op’s IT system shutdown show how disruptive digital downtime can be, even for household names. It happens. Often when you least expect it.

Why bother with a disaster recovery plan?

The short answer? Because downtime doesn’t discriminate.

Small businesses are just as affected - if not more - by sudden outages, hacks or broken updates. And ironically, they’re also more likely to be targeted, simply because attackers assume the security isn’t up to scratch.

Without a plan, downtime can lead to:

• Lost revenue (no site = no sales or leads)

• Damaged customer trust

• SEO drops due to availability issues

• Stress for you and your team

A disaster recovery plan means you’re not guessing what to do when things go wrong. You’ve already mapped it out.

Why WordPress sites are especially at risk

WordPress powers more than 40% of the internet - and attackers know it.

It’s flexible, popular and powerful. But it also has a few common weak points:

Outdated plugins or themes - these are one of the biggest entry points for exploits.

Weak login credentials - “Admin” and “password123” are still shockingly common.

Lack of regular backups - Without backups, there’s no quick way to restore your site if something breaks.

Poor user management - Too many admins - especially people who have left the company - increase the chance of a breach.

What Managed WordPress hosting covers (and what it doesn’t)

With Krystal’s Managed WordPress hosting, you get a head start:

• Daily backups
• Automatic plugin + core updates
• Built-in security tools
• One-click rollbacks
• 99.99% uptime SLA
• UK-based support who actually answer

What it doesn’t replace: a plan.

You still need to take ownership of your site. Know your recovery process. Store your credentials. Keep user access tight. Good hosting helps, but preparedness wins.

How do I make a good disaster recovery plan?

A good disaster recovery plan doesn’t need to be a 50-page document or live in a fireproof cabinet. But it should cover the essentials and be easy to act on when something goes wrong.

Start with a simple question: if your site went down right now, what would you do?

If the answer is “panic”, you’re not alone. Most small businesses know they should have a plan, but few have something practical in place.

A strong website recovery plan should be clear, documented and cover at least the following key areas:

Know your setup inside-out

Create a plain-English guide to your site. What’s it built on? Which plugins or themes are critical? Who has access, and what do they do? If you’re not sure, take the time to find out. It’ll make troubleshooting ten times easier in the moment.

Keep everything up to date

Outdated software is one of the easiest ways in for hackers. Schedule regular updates for your WordPress core, themes and plugins. With Krystal’s Managed WordPress Hosting, we handle those updates automatically, so you stay protected without lifting a finger.

Use backups that actually back you up

If your website vanishes, how quickly can you bring it back? Regular, off-site backups are essential — and they need to be easy to restore. With Krystal Managed WordPress hosting, backups are taken hourly for business and agency plans, and daily for personal plans (upgradable to hourly) and stored remotely, with one-click rollbacks available whenever you need them. Our Business Hosting plans also take 4-hourly backups.

Monitor for threats

From malware to DDoS attacks, prevention is easier than recovery. A good plan includes active security monitoring and traffic filtering. Krystal clients benefit from built-in DDoS protection and around-the-clock scans, so suspicious activity is spotted early.

Know when something goes wrong and act fast

It’s no good discovering your site’s down three hours after the fact. Uptime monitoring and alerts should be part of your plan, so issues don’t go unnoticed. At Krystal, our public status page shows real-time updates for transparency and peace of mind.

Define your disaster playbook

Who responds when something breaks? What steps do they follow? Where’s the login? Your disaster plan should answer those questions in seconds, not hours. Even a simple checklist is better than trying to remember what to do when you’re in firefighting mode.

Are you actually ready?

Here are five quick, simple questions you should be able to answer:

1. Do we have recent off-site backups and can I access them?

2. Are WordPress themes and plugins kept up to date automatically?

3. Can I restore my site in under 10 minutes?

4. Who’s responsible if there’s a breach?

5. Have we tested all this recently?

If you’re missing a “yes”, it’s time to get on it.

Having a good disaster recovery plan isn’t about being paranoid. It’s about being prepared.

And while a managed hosting platform like Krystal covers many of the technical bases, there’s still no substitute for knowing your site, knowing your risks and knowing what to do if the worst happens.

The good news? You don’t have to do it alone.

Explore our Managed WordPress hosting and Business Hosting plans, or talk to our Support team for a free site health check and personalised guidance.