Business Continuity Planning and Security 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.

As major disasters bring acute awareness to readiness, many higher education institutions have taken the initiative to develop and refine their handling of major disruptions on campus. This presentation provides information and resources collected from experienced business continuity and disaster recovery planning professionals; a toolkit for Business Continuity.

EDUCAUSE presents the top-ten IT-related issues in terms of strategic importance to the institution, as revealed by the eighth annual EDUCAUSE Current Issues Survey. This year, Funding IT moves back to the top of the list.

EDUCAUSE presents the findings from its fifth annual Current Issues Survey. For the second year in a row, funding of information technology heads the list of the top-ten issues that IT leaders in higher education see as their most critical challenges.