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Brian D. Voss Vice President and Chief Information Officer University of Maryland

Explore insights on disaster recovery and event management from past calamities, emphasizing the importance of preparedness and contingency planning. Learn vital strategies for effective response in crisis situations.

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Brian D. Voss Vice President and Chief Information Officer University of Maryland

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  1. Disaster Recovery/Event Management PerspectivesDéjà Vu All Over Again“ I’ve seen this movie before and I didn’t like it then either!” Brian D. Voss Vice President and Chief Information Officer University of Maryland

  2. Getting a few things straight up front …. • Linda and the folks in Vermont are the story of this EDUCAUSE Live! Session • I may be the ‘ghost of disasters past’ but I didn’t experience one, this time, worth discussing in its own right • My experiences with Irene were mostly of a personal nature – my campus had no issues worth mentioning • I’m going to remind you, though, that if this one didn’t get you … the next one might! So if you haven’t prepared yet, now is another opportunity!

  3. My Calamitous Louisiana Experience Hurricanes • Katrina (Aug/Sept 2005) • Rita (Sept 2005) • Gustav (Sept 2008 – I was in Alaska) Oil Spill (2010) Mississippi River 100-year Flood Threat(2011 – I was in Paris) Budget Crisis (2009-2011 – I felt was in a Fellini movie!) I decided not to stick around for fiery hail, frogs, boils, locusts …. Not to mention the urge to always be checking on my daughter (first born) in Chicago daily. So I beat feet to Maryland!

  4. Welcome to Maryland! Town Hall Meeting with UMD OIT Staff, August 23, 2011 1:51pm EDT Let’s watch a little video …

  5. An Earthquake??? Yup … An Earthquake!

  6. Thursday Morning 25 August – Still discussing earthquake Uhh …. Psssssst …. Don’t look now BUT THERE’S A HURRICANE COMING!

  7. Personal Perspectives Personally • “You’ve got to be kidding me … I just LEFT Hurricane Country!” • Conjured up feelings of personal dread • Just moved into a house … surrounded by 100-ft tall trees! • Felt the campus wasn’t getting agitated [enough] about this • Remembered how LSU began significant preparations in earnest 3-4 days ahead of landfall • UMD seemed more focused on the potential disruption and inconvenience of move-in weekend and other events Professionally • New guy – not really well positioned to make waves nor understanding how/where/when to make them • Concerned about coming off as “The BIG [Mr. Knowitall] Expert” and causing a bad impression in the infancy of my time at UMD

  8. Professional Practice Actions Buck up and go my colleague, Linda Clement, VP Student Affairs and expressed my concerns as gently and respectfully as possible • Discovered … • Great deal of pre-planning was in place • While mood was not alarmed, it was dedicated, cautious, and circumspect • Key University elements – student life, academic affairs, facilities, campus safety/police, communications and university relations – were already well into their ‘playbooks’ Returned to IT to see how my new organization was preparing • Discovered • Well documented, rehearsed, and detailed plan was being rolled-out and implemented • Disaster Response efforts well structured • Contingencies were well described and emergency action plans ready

  9. And then the storm HIT!!!! • While Eastern/Coastal Maryland and the area around the Chesapeake Bay certainly had some significant damage and impact, the College Park area primarily had some wind, some rain, and very minor street flooding. • Trees were certainly down around town (and even on my street in Wheaton) but it was not calamitous • Power outages were sporadically impacting specific areas or residences/businesses; but nothing widespread • We were spared • Life returned to normal by Monday morning

  10. We became occupied with other pressing matters ….

  11. Lessons Learned – Revisiting the Past

  12. Traditional Disaster Recovery What if my data center is lost Broader Disaster Recovery What if my campus is lost What if the city where my campus is located is lost Survivor Disaster Recovery What if I’m fine … but everyone around me is not Irene Post-Katrina Disaster Recovery Thinking

  13. Traditional Disaster RecoveryYou’re down, everything else is fine Do you have a workable DR plan? Do you know where on campus you’ll go? Did you take necessary back-ups and do you have them ready to re-produce production files? What vendors will you need to tap – and for what? How will you quickly re-establish network connectivity? Phone service? Web presence? E-mail? Mission critical information systems? Lessons: It’s the data, stupid. Hardware can be replaced; data can not be If you lose just your data center, the need for rapid response will be acute and immediate; your institution can not operate without IT

  14. Are your off-sites conveniently (and perhaps tragically) close? Do you have arrangements to get key services restored at a distance Web, E-mail, Financial/HR, Student Information, LMS Hot-sites may be too much $$$$ – but can you find suitable raised floor/HVAC/power to ‘re-build’ Can you support your administration “in exile?” Internet access, computers, cell phones, e-mail, IM Is your ‘life-boat’ plan portable over larger distances? Can you grab your key people? Can you care for them? Lessons: People are your most key resource – but expect them to be burdened with other priorities Knowing what you’ll need to do and having it organized is more important than knowing all about ‘how’ you’ll do it when you get there (wherever ‘there’ might be) Broader Disaster RecoveryYou and everyone around you is down

  15. Dealing with unimaginable demands Start imagining it Do you have a stock of equipment to set up a large support operation in short-order? Networking gear, computers, cables, supplies, telephone service Value of a flexible and capable staff They’ll see things no one should have to see Consider how you’ll do all this on top of your normal jobs, as campus life resumes and student enrollment increases How ready is your campus administration to take on the role of disaster response center? Facilities, public safety/police, communications, academic affairs Is the CEO (Chancellor, or President) prepared? Survivor Disaster RecoveryYou’re the last ones standing

  16. CIOs can no longer say they can’t imagine what could happen – because it just did. {AGAIN} Next time, you may not be watching it on CNN – you may be living it Now is the time to think, plan, and take action – later it will be too late Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.-George Santayana

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