Spotlight
PAGE: https://alison.com/course/fundamentals-of-disaster-recovery
PROMISE: Map security gaps to operational risks, not just login friction.
WHO: Operations and IT security leads managing security migrations in small businesses.
WHYNOW: Security migration projects often fail when usability is not treated as a continuity risk.
DESC: This risk management course explains how to prepare for potential catastrophes by drawing up effective disaster recovery plans that ensure business continuity.
BEFORE: Security changes are isolated from daily business operations.
BEFORE: Usability complaints are treated as minor UX bugs, not risks.
BEFORE: There is no framework to link authentication friction to service downtime.
AFTER: Security migration is planned with explicit continuity safeguards.
AFTER: Login failures are analyzed through a structured impact assessment.
AFTER: The team documents why specific data assets need redundant access methods.
GAIN: A clear method for identifying which assets are critical during outages.
GAIN: The ability to explain why documenting continuity plans reduces risk.
GAIN: A structured approach to summarizing business impact for stakeholders.
STEP: Teams bypass new passkeys because they cannot trace the impact of blocked access. || Identify data and assets that need to be protected against disaster || Prioritize which systems require redundant recovery paths during security changes.
STEP: Migration discussions stall when stakeholders argue about technical vs. business costs. || Explain the concept of business continuity planning (BCP) || Frame usability fixes as continuity requirements, not just IT preferences.
STEP: No clear way to justify why a failed login attempt is a business event. || Summarise tasks performed to carry out a business impact analysis (BIA) || Document the specific operational cost of authentication failures in writing.
NOTFOR: Teams looking for code-level passkey implementation details.
NOTFOR: Anyone needing a deep dive into cryptographic security standards.
FACT: Average duration: 5-6 Hours (Contains Video)
FACT: CPD-accredited certificate available
FACT: Beginner level
COVERS: Explain the concept of business continuity planning (BCP)
COVERS: Identify data and assets that need to be protected against disaster
COVERS: Differentiate between natural and man-made disasters
COVERS: Recall the BCP project planning stages
COVERS: Summarise tasks performed to carry out a business impact analysis (BIA)
COVERS: List the items that should be included in a BIA report
COVERS: Outline the benefits of documenting the BCP
COVERS: Summarise the reasons for testing the disaster recovery plan (DRP)
COVERS: State the importance of DRP maintenance
COVERS: Risk Management
COVERS: Business Analysis
MODULE: Disaster Recovery Workshop || BCP and Disaster Recovery | Business Impact Analysis | BCP Design and Development Phases | Testing and Validating the Plan | IT Recovery Strategies
What you are probably seeing
You enabled passkeys for your team or customers, but support tickets still show password reset links and recovery codes in use. Users are bypassing the secure key method by falling back to email or SMS verification when they lock themselves out of the account.
Your audit logs reveal a split in security posture. The primary login is hardened with phishing-resistant authentication, yet the account recovery process still relies on static secrets that can be intercepted or social engineered, creating a weak link in the chain.
Why it happens
Recovery is designed to separate identity from secret. When systems cannot verify a user is who they claim to be without the primary credential, they default to out-of-band channels like email or phone. This assumes the recovery channel is as secure as the passkey, which it usually is not, effectively downgrading the entire account security to the weakest available link.
In-person bank ID checks replace digital recovery by proving identity directly. Digital systems lack this physical verification, so they rely on secondary factors. If these secondary factors are easily accessible to an attacker who has already compromised the primary password or session, the passkey does not add meaningful protection because the account can be taken over through the recovery path without ever needing the key.
What changed recently
Step by step
1. Map every account recovery option currently active on your login system.
2. Identify which recovery methods rely on static secrets or single-factor out-of-band channels.
3. Test the recovery flow with an attacker mindset to see if it can be intercepted without the passkey.
4. Prioritize removing or upgrading the weakest recovery path before scaling passkey adoption.
5. Document the new recovery requirements and communicate them to users who depend on those accounts.
Ways to go further
Start here: Basics of Disaster Recovery For when you are analyzing why a security migration reduced usability in a work environment. Open the free course on Alison ↗
Better fit: Password-Less Authentication Guide Using Facebook Account Kit For when you are setting up a new service and need to verify the backup recovery method. Open the free course on Alison ↗
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