Documents Contributed by ECAR, Disaster Recovery Planning, and Risk Management

This ECAR research bulletin provides five hallmarks for IT readiness, response, and recovery in the face of a devastating natural disaster. It is based on an ECAR interview with the deputy CIO of Louisiana State University conducted 10 days after Hurricane Gustav shut down the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on September 1, 2008. It illustrates the fortitude of an institution that has built a campus environment based on a culture of safety, security, and trust—especially in times of crisis. The bulletin also illustrates the power of planning, openness, communication, teamwork, training, attention to detail, focus, practice, and leadership.

Citation for this work: Childs, Melody. “Hazards and Hurricanes: Hallmarks of IT Readiness, Response, and Recovery.” (Research Bulletin, Issue 21). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

This ECAR research bulletin suggests a framework to provide resiliency in higher education by placing such considerations up front in the evaluation, selection, and design of information technology (IT) services and building them into the business practices of the institution. Resiliency is the product of technology, people, and processes that minimize the impact of an event and make transparent that which would otherwise adversely disrupt the normal operation of services for students, faculty, or staff.

This research bulletin discusses the advantages, benefits, and costs of business continuity certification. Based on data from the 2007 ECAR study of business continuity in higher education, the Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI) International, journals, presentations, and interviews with business continuity professionals, the bulletin reviews the roles of certified professionals and the processes for obtaining and maintaining certification.

In August 2006, EDUCAUSE brought together a group of thought leaders from higher education and the private sector to explore and share effective strategies and behaviors on the important topic of business continuity in higher education. One of these leaders is Catherine Lewis, the information technology administrator who led New Orleans–based Xavier University through the August 2005 disaster of Hurricane Katrina and helped restore academic continuity for the institution. Lewis shares her perspective and insights in the form of this research bulletin.

This case study investigates how two major New York City universities, Pace University and New York University, changed their business continuity, disaster recovery, and emergency response thinking and practices after experiencing a major emergency. Researchers conducted this in-depth case study to complement the 2007 ECAR study, Shelter from the Storm: IT and Business Continuity in Higher Education, which provides higher education with empirical information about where its business continuity vulnerabilities, plans, and practices stand in relation to surveyed institutions, and what factors are associated with success in planning for the delivery of information technology–dependent business services following a spectrum of potential service disruptions. Senior IT administrators at 340 colleges and universities completed the quantitative survey that informed the study.

This case study examines how risk assessment and business impact analysis initiatives emerged and are moving to completion at UCLA, one of the largest and technologically most complex institutions in US higher education. Researchers conducted this in-depth case study to complement the 2007 ECAR study, Shelter from the Storm: IT and Business Continuity in Higher Education, which provides higher education with empirical information about where its business continuity vulnerabilities, plans, and practices stand in relation to surveyed institutions, and what factors are associated with success in planning for the delivery of information technology-dependent business services following a spectrum of potential service disruptions. Senior IT administrators at 340 colleges and universities completed the quantitative survey that informed the study.

This study looks at IT unit readiness to foster and support the functioning of colleges and universities that are challenged by disruption. Responding to a well-documented increase of interest in business continuity and disaster recovery issues among higher education CIOs, ECAR designed the study to inform executives about how institutions approach continuity issues and to identify practices that are associated with good BC outcomes. The study methodology included a literature review; consultation with a select group of CIOs and BC experts for the purpose of identifying and validating research questions; a quantitative survey of IT administrators (mostly CIOs) at 340 higher education institutions; post-survey interviews with 15 executives and IT staff members involved in BC; a quantitative survey of institutional business officers (mostly CBOs/CFOs) at 247 member institutions of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO); and four case studies looking at BC planning and operations Florida State University, New York University, Pace University, UC–Davis, and UCLA.

This document presents the key findings of the 2007 ECAR study, Shelter from the Storm: IT and Business Continuity in Higher Education. The study looks at IT unit readiness to foster and support the functioning of colleges and universities that are challenged by disruption. Responding to a well-documented increase of interest in business continuity and disaster recovery issues among higher education chief information officers (CIOs), ECAR designed the study to inform executives about how institutions approach continuity issues and to identify practices that are associated with good business continuity outcomes. The study methodology included a literature review; consultation with a select group of CIOs and business continuity experts for the purpose of identifying and validating research questions; a quantitative survey of IT administrators (mostly CIOs) at 340 higher education institutions; post-survey interviews with 15 executives and IT staff members involved in business continuity; a quantitative survey of institutional business officers (mostly CBOs/CFOs) at 247 member institutions of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO); and four case studies looking at business continuity planning and operations Florida State University, New York University, Pace University, UC–Davis, and UCLA.

This roadmap synthesizes the important issues and recommended actions drawn from the 2007 ECAR study, Shelter from the Storm: IT and Business Continuity in Higher Education. The study looks at IT unit readiness to foster and support the functioning of colleges and universities that are challenged by disruption. Responding to a well-documented increase of interest in business continuity and disaster recovery issues among higher education chief information officers (CIOs), ECAR designed the study to inform executives about how institutions approach continuity issues and to identify practices that are associated with good business continuity outcomes. The study methodology included a literature review; consultation with a select group of CIOs and business continuity experts for the purpose of identifying and validating research questions; a quantitative survey of IT administrators (mostly CIOs) at 340 higher education institutions; post-survey interviews with 15 executives and IT staff members involved in business continuity; a quantitative survey of institutional business officers (mostly CBOs/CFOs) at 247 member institutions of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO); and four case studies looking at business continuity planning and operations Florida State University, New York University, Pace University, UC–Davis, and UCLA.

This case study discusses the business continuity and disaster recovery activities of the University of California, Davis, Office of Administration, highlighting the implications of these activities for the Information and Educational Technology group. Researchers conducted this in-depth case study to complement the 2007 ECAR study, Shelter from the Storm: IT and Business Continuity in Higher Education, which provides higher education with empirical information about where its business continuity vulnerabilities, plans, and practices stand in relation to surveyed institutions, and what factors are associated with success in planning for the delivery of information technology-dependent business services following a spectrum of potential service disruptions. Senior IT administrators at 340 colleges and universities completed the quantitative survey that informed the study.