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Business Resiliency: Emergency Response, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

NCJ Number
219117
Journal
Homeland Defense Journal Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 49-50,52,53
Author(s)
Don Philpott
Date Published
April 2007
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article proposes steps that must be taken in order to ensure the continuity of essential government and business functions during and after disasters such as Katrina and September 11.
Abstract
The continuity of operations (COOP) or recoverability planning must ensure that critical data are protected at all times and are available to those who need it. This requires that experts in facility design and engineering and information technology (IT) specialists communicate with one another in order to ensure that all threats to essential operational data are countered. In planning for COOP, one of the key steps is to identify and protect all enabling infrastructure, i.e., ensure that the location and construction of the infrastructure is sufficient to withstand foreseeable threats to the technology that maintains and dispenses data required for the continuity of essential services. There must also be solutions in place that will ensure the data center will be connected to the end user. Further, there must be an analysis of what personnel are required to maintain operations and the development of a plan for how operations can continue if certain personnel are not available due to a disaster. There must also be a flexible infrastructure that will ensure the delivery of uninterrupted power and cooling for all critical data systems. In addition to discussing the steps that must be taken to ensure continuity of essential services, this article also considers cost decisions.