Business Continuity Planning and Emergency Preparedness

The purpose of this toolkit is to provide resources for business continuity and disaster recovery planning, including guides, templates, examples and tips.  The information provided herein is intended to be of value in the development, testing, enactment and revising of business continuity efforts. This Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery toolkit is an ongoing work in progress.  As new resources are developed and best practices shift, updated information will be provided here.

"Students arriving on campus this semester are getting a new task added to their to-do lists: Log onto "Who I Am" and provide emergency contact information.

The new service is the latest upgrade to Cornell's ongoing emergency planning effort. Since the late 1990s, well before 9/11 and recent U.S. campus shootings, Cornell has had a team of officials and responders dedicated to planning for events most people don't want to think about."

The Governor's Task Force on Campus Safety is focused on ensuring the safety of college campuses across Wisconsin. At the direction of Governor Jim Doyle, the Task Force is reviewing and compiling criteria for developing best practices from universities, colleges, and other higher education institutions in Wisconsin and across the nation. This information will be submitted to the governor and will serve as a resource for college administrators, law enforcement officers, and emergency preparedness officials.

The annual Campus Computing Survey focuses on IT security and crisis management, finding gaps in preparation but fewer attacks on networks.

he University of Maryland University College and Sloan-C recently held a workshop on academic continuity and emergency management at UMUC on June 27, 2007. Click on the link below to access a brief report which describes the workshop. Includes preliminary findings, general conclusions, recommendations, agenda, and participant list.

Backup tapes, hot sites, annual tests -- the elements of yesterday's disaster recovery planning may lead to a dead end today. Do you know where your applications are?

This is the University of Iowa's Information Technology Services Disaster Recovery Plan. The plan provides guidelines for ensuring that needed personnel and resources are available for both disaster preparation and response and that the proper steps will be carried out to permit the timely restoration of services.

Along with Charley, Ivan, and Katrina, hurricanes and other natural disasters are a part of life in the Southeast. Beyond the weather, many other calamities might hit us at any time. While many of us have been involved in efforts to develop emergency preparedness, disaster recovery, and business continuity plans, often these sit on a shelf and have little to do with how the institution really responds in an emergency. How can we plan and prepare in a way that is realistic and meaningful? How can we collaborate in advance so that we will be prepared to help each other when disaster strikes? What are the critical functions of IT before, during, and after an emergency? How can IT best facilitate long-term recovery efforts? This panel will feature several IT professionals who have experienced disastrous situations first-hand and can offer valuable insights to others.