Enterprise Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan

Enterprise Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan

Name:

Institution:

 

Enterprise Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan

Emergency Notification Contacts

Name	Position	Email	Mobile Number
Dr. John Mathews	Managing Director	johnmathews@gmail.com	+1-202-545-1893
Mr. Alex Scott	Human Resource Manager	alscott@gmail.com	+1-202-392-1234
Mrs. Grace Lewis	IT Engineer	lewisgrace@yahoo.com	+1-202-109-8865
Mr. Jackson Smith	Chairman, Disaster Management committee	jacksmith@gmail.com	+1-202-452-2738

 

Revisions Control

Date	Summary of modifications made	Modifications made by (name)
3rd December 2013	The executive team established a disaster management committee as one of the key approaches of dealing with catastrophes that may occur in the future	Dr. John Mathews (Managing Director)
29th December 2013	Incorporation of software for analyzing the extent of a technological disaster in accordance with the information technology principles of the company	Mrs. Grace Lewis (IT Engineer)
5th January 2014	Introduction of monthly educational forums aimed at enlightening the human resources of appropriate measures to use in case of a disaster such as fire	Mr. Alex Scott (Human Resource Manager)
17th January 2014	Advancement of the current communication networks in the corporation by increasing the number of modern communication equipments in various departments. This includes telephones, alarms, and fire extinguishers. Improvement of the existing network systems through the inclusion of additional software in the IT framework.	Dr. John Mathews (Managing Director), Mrs. Grace Lewis (IT Engineer), and Mr. Solomon Campbell ( Network System Coordinator)

Purpose

The main purpose of this business continuity and disaster recovery plan is to identify appropriate measures that will aid Delight Interior Company to tackle disasters that may occur in the future in the most competent manner. The focus of this comprehensive plan is to protect the Local Area Networks of the corporation (LAN), the Wide Area Networks (WAN), and other internet services from incidences beyond the control of the managerial team (Blokdijk, 2008). As indicated in this document, the administration recognizes the possibilities of natural and artificial calamities that may affect the operational capacity of the company. Subsequently, all departments within this commercial organization ought to implement the measures stipulated in this document in order to avoid such disasters or aid in the quick recovery of the company incase of such unpleasant incidences.

Scope

The capacity of this business continuity and disaster recovery plan extends to the network systems and services within the company’s framework in addition to monitoring the actions of the human resources, which can facilitate unpleasant circumstances. For this reason, the administrative team and employees of various sub sectors of this commercial organization should not utilize the recommendations provided in this document as an approach of solving daily hitches within the operational structure of Delight Interior Company.

Objectives

• To act as a guideline for the data and Information Technology recovery personnel.
• To offer approaches and resources needed in the network and data recovery process.
• To avoid disarray in case of a disruption in the network systems or other technological facets within the corporation.
• To provide alternative sources of network resources and services in case of a natural o artificial disaster.

Assumptions

• Personnel in crucial positions of the network systems within Delight Interior Company will be accessible in case of a disaster.
• This plan and other relevant documents will be reachable during and after the catastrophe.
• Other departments will use their disaster recovery plans to supplement the efforts of the network sub sector.

Description of Disaster

In this context, a catastrophe refers to any loss of network systems including LAN and WAN. It also includes the loss of data connectivity structures or any other disruption of technological frameworks within the IT department of Delight Interior Company. Accordingly, this plan stipulates the possible disasters and offers relevant recommendations to avoid extensive danger on the network systems and technological resources of the corporation.

Recovery Teams

These groups of personnel include (1.) Disaster management team

(2.) Disaster recovery personnel

(3.) Technical support team in the networking sub sector

 

Team Members’ Tasks

• To have the contacts of other team members including their phone numbers
• To comprehend the major aspects of this plan.

Instructions of Using the Plan

Disaster Declaration

The administrative team of the company, in collaboration with various disaster management and recovery teams, has the mandate of affirming a disaster and implementing the disaster recovery mechanisms indicated in this document. Other employees should act depending on the directives offered by the executive team of this corporation.

External Communication

The human resources in the company’ public relations department have the responsibility of contacting relevant external institutions including media agencies, related government bureaus after the formal declaration of the disaster.

Emergency Management Principles

• Backup Policy

Detailed backup systems are useful in maintaining and protecting the network information and crucial data of the company. The personnel in the technology department should perform tests on these systems often in order to ensure their competence. The backup media should be in a separate physical location that is safe for any natural or artificial disasters related to the environment (Rittinghouse & Ransome, 2005). Other backup resources that should be in separate physical region from the main technological department should include supplementary power sources, cables and connectors, and relevant documents.

• Tape Retention Guidelines

Where tapes are part of the original operating systems or the backup strategy, they should not exceed three years since the manufactory date. Additionally, if they are less than this operating period, the relevant personnel should store them in safe regions away from the original network control rooms. The network system controller has the mandate of ensuring that all the tapes within the company’s structure are modern and in good working condition.

Incase of Fire:

• Dial 911 to inform the fire department (if the situation warrants the move) or engage the services of other workers if the fire is a minor disaster.
• Alert all individuals within the company to evacuate the premises. The use of alarms located in various locations is suitable.
• Alert the disaster management team through the numbers provided in this document.
• Upon evacuating the premises, all human resources should assemble at a common point and follow the instructions of the senior management personnel.

Incase of a Natural Disruption on the Network Structure:

• Notify the senior management personnel or executive officials within the network system.
• The relevant authorities should analyze the situation to identify the cause of the disruption and measures needed in the recovery process.
• Use alternative communication systems to tackle the situation depending on the directives of the senior management team and disaster recovery officials.

Plan Review and Maintenance

The authorized workers should review this business continuity and disaster management plan at least once after every six months with the suitable tests to establish its competence occurring on a yearly basis. These evaluation mechanisms should include an analysis of the components of the plan or a mock disaster in order to ascertain the competence of the plan in various situations. In addition, owing to the active environment within Delight Interior Company, it is important to update the contacts contained in this document on a regular basis. Furthermore, the hard copy of this document should be in a safe place that s accessible by the various disaster management teams and the company’ employees. An electronic version will be accessible in the company’s website (ASIS International, 2005).

Network Recovery Phase (0 Hours to 6 Hours)

Announcement of the Occurrence Affecting the Site

On-Duty Officers Mandate:

• If in-hours

Upon detecting a potential disaster to the network framework of the corporation, ensure that the workers in various departments have enacted appropriate emergency mechanisms including evacuating from the premises if the situation warrants such a move. Additionally, notify the disaster management team immediately.

• If out of hours

The technical personnel within the Information Technology department should alert the disaster management team.

Decide Course of Action

Depending on the circumstances surrounding such a disastrous event, the disaster management and recovery teams should by gathering the technical support officers in the Information Technology sub sector and rebuilding the network systems or shifting to a different location. Moreover, these executive teams should inform the employees of the decision before contacting merchants of the affected network equipments. The next step in the decision-making process includes assessing the incurred damage and publicizing the catastrophe.

Network Recovery Phase (6 Hours to Full Recovery)

This section contains vital information that will aid the senior management, disaster recovery team, and Information Technology personnel to restore the network systems efficiently and fully. The process may include restoration of the structures to their initial state or establishment of an alternative network framework (Snedaker, 2007). The process includes various stages such as:

• system and operational requirements

The arrangement of various network systems and operations are important concepts in attaining full recovery from the disruption.

• Inform the personnel in the Information Technology sub sector about the progress and intentions return to the initial location or relocate to a different region.
• Secure sufficient funding by engaging the network equipment merchants and financial institutions depending on the extent of the damage.
• Inform all the business units within the commercial organization of the network recovery in addicting to publicizing any changes made with the system. This includes changes in procedures, contacts, or operational hours. The final stage of this recovery process is a formal affirmation by the senior managerial team of the company of the normal functioning of the network systems and the entire business unit (Okolita, 2010).

 

Appendixes

Appendix 1: Disaster Recovery Team of the Delight Interior Company

Mandate: this team is responsible for the entire coordination of the disaster recovery process of the network systems. It should also work closely with the senior management of the company in declaring of a catastrophe and communicating to internal and external entities.

Support Activities:

• Evaluate the competence of various recovery actions depending on the nature and extent of the network disruption.
• Evaluate the assessment results of the network disruption and damage.
• Collaborate with equipment vendors to repair the system.
• Update the employees and senior management of the developments in the recovery process.

Appendix 2: Disaster Form

Upon identifying an existing or potential catastrophe within the network frameworks, the personnel on-duty at the network procedural sites will fill basic information in this form. The disaster management and recovery teams will then update the form appropriately and continually till the final stage of the recovery process.

Time & Date:

 

Type of Event:

 

Physical Location:

 

Accessibility Issues:

 

Predictable Effect on Operations:

 

Current Events:

 

 

References

ASIS International. (2005). Business continuity guideline: A practical approach for emergency preparedness, crisis management and disaster recovery. Alexandria, VA: ASIS International.

Blokdijk, G. (2008). Disaster recovery 100 success secrets: IT business continuity, disaster recovery planning and services. S.l: Emereo.

Okolita, K. (2010). Building an enterprise-wide business continuity program. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Rittinghouse, J. W., & Ransome, J. F. (2005). Business continuity and disaster recovery for infosec managers. Amsterdam: Elsevier Digital Press.

Snedaker, S. (2007). Business continuity and disaster recovery planning for it professionals. Amsterdam: Elsevier.