An organization is developing a disaster recovery plan that requires data to be backed up...

For a disaster recovery (DR) plan requiring immediate data availability, the first step is understanding what needs to be protected and recovered. Identifying critical business processes and their associated software and hardware requirements establishes the foundation for the DR plan. This ensures that backups and recovery mechanisms align with business priorities, meeting the "moment's notice" requirement.

Option A:A change management plan is important for system consistency but doesn’t directly address immediate data availability in a DR context.

Option B:Hiring staff supports execution but doesn’t define what needs to be recovered or how. It’s a later step.

Option C:A warm site (a partially operational backup site) is a good DR solution, but designing it comes after identifying critical processes and resources.

Option D:This is the first step in any DR planning process—knowing what’s critical ensures the plan meets availability goals efficiently.