Business Continuity vs Disaster Recovery

1. Business Continuity vs Disaster Recovery IT’s Role in Business Continuity Katina Blue Director of Business Continuity NC State University

2. Business Continuity Defined • Advanced preparation and planning for a catastrophic event that could suspend or cause you to change the way normal operations are performed. • Procedures that describe how the business will continue operations in an alternate way if an event occurs.

3. Disaster Recovery defined • The disaster has happened! • Response procedures that describe how the business recovers from the event.

4. Different meanings of Disaster Recovery • More commonly used to describe an IT disruption. • Universally used now to describe the ‘response’ actions to any type of disaster. • Loss of research, computer lab fire, building fire, train derailment….

5. Simply Put • Business Continuity = Planning before the disaster happens or it is imminent • Disaster Recovery = Planning for an event that is occurring or has occurred

6. IT’s role in Business Continuity • IT is still a department! • Develop business continuity plans for the IT department. • (alternate worksites, identifying and prioritizing critical functions, identifying software, equipment and supplies, identifying critical telephone numbers, vital records, and critical employees); plan includes declaration and reconstitution procedures • Organize an IT BCDR Committee.

7. Recommend Business Continuity Strategies • Telework once a week • Order all laptops with wireless • Wireless access points in all facilities connected to generator • Aircards • Use of Flash drives • Backup solutions in the ‘My Documents’ folder nightly through 3rd party providers • Low jack on laptops

8. IT’s role in Business Continuity • Educate business units about IT recovery strategies and solutions • Collaborate with Business Continuity office • Develop internal and external reciprocal agreements • Catalog vendor resources • Review critical business units planning assumptions

9. IT’s role in Business Continuity • Define RTO (downtime tolerance) • Define RPO (data loss tolerance) • Document tape recovery solution (nightly; incremental; full volume) • Ensure the bandwidth can handle remote access potential

10. IT’s role in Business Continuity • Prioritize recovery of applications • Map servers to applications; failure to that server affects xxxx applications xxx business units • Document ERP systems recovery • Inventory assets and vendor support information

11. IT’s role in Business Continuity • Redundant network solutions • Redundant website • Ancillary equipment – Rapid Acquisition • Telecommunication recovery

12. Educate the campus • Help Desk should be aware of how to handle and communicate emergency information requests • Publish remote access options • Communicate emergency information via web, dedicated telephone line

13. Exercise Plans and Maintenance • Test recovery strategies • Exercise with business units • Include IT Business Continuity planning in Change Management process • Hold IT staff accountable for reviewing and updating plan

14. Final Comments • Don’t plan in silos • IT BCDR is not a project but a valued component of the organization • Commit to BCDR by establishing a position with full-time or added responsibilities • Establish a business continuity network within the Community College system

15. Thank you! • Questions/Comments