Disaster Recovery Planning and Presentations/Speeches

Disaster mitigation and business continuity planning remain critical issues for all institutions. Whether by acts of God or acts of man, events can occur that demonstrate the fragility of the underlying infrastructure that connects IT resources with people. Schools must have actionable plans that will support the ongoing delivery of instruction and mission-critical business functions through the entire life cycle of an event. This presentation will discuss two different types of disasters that severely impacted business operations. Middle Tennessee State University, the largest undergraduate institution in Tennessee, recently faced the prospect of extended degradation of business operations when a construction accident pulverized communications across campus. Eckerd College, a small private liberal arts college located on the water in St. Petersburg, has been confronted with the challenge of temporarily transforming the college from a small campus-based residential community into a geographically dispersed virtual community in the aftermath of repeated evacuations due to hurricanes. Lessons learned and strategies developed will be discussed.

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.

What would you do if a broken water pipe temporally disabled your IT capability, or a fire destroyed your primary or secondary IT facilities? Penn State has developed a plan addressing three unique event levels--incidents, disasters, and catastrophes--with three plan phases, each of which initiates a unique recovery response.

Many campuses are exploring how information technologies might play a critical role, when disaster strikes, in ensuring the continuity of their most essential business, educating students. This panel will explore how Web-based services can be used to minimize the impact on instruction of a significant shutdown of the physical campus. Not all disasters have the same uniform impact; this panel will emphasize how to plan the process, from course preparation to delivery, for pandemics like Avian Flu.

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.

In the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, colleges and universities across the country are reviewing their emergency preparedness plans and evaluating their ability to quickly notify constituents in crisis situations. Networked technologies (posting notices on Web sites, e-mailing information, and sending text messages to cell phones) are among the most promising solutions. As campuses explore options for their emergency communication plan, they must also consider infrastructure and policy and procedural components. This session will provide an overview of the strategies for emergency notifications of students, employees, and visitors, as well as a context and resources for campus emergency preparedness planning.

In the past, business continuity and disaster recovery planning weren't necessarily a priority for higher education institutions. Due to recent events, however, colleges and universities are increasingly developing plans to enable their business functions to continue in the face of a disruptive event. To facilitate this planning, many are exploring the use of business continuity planning tools, which establish a planning framework, offer direction in the planning process, and provide a common platform for the various campus groups involved. This session will explore the tool selection process at the presenters' institutions, focusing on the criteria used and lessons learned. This session may provide the basis for future discussions to delve further into the details of implementing these tools.