Agency Technology: When disaster strikes, Part 2: How to prepare

Last month we looked at understanding the risks associated with living through a disaster. This month, let’s examine specific ways agencies can establish, maintain and implement a practical plan for disaster preparedness and business continuity. Backup systems “The biggest mistake small business owners make is not adequately backing up their data,” said David Luft, senior vice president for product development at Computer Assocs.’ SMB program office. His company’s research has shown that more than half of all companies in the United States don’t have a business continuance plan to prevent data loss. Agencies on tape backup systems should explore digital systems or, even better, off-site backup options. Live Vault(www.ironmountain.com/digital/server/), AmeriVault (www.amerivault.com) and Carbonite ( www.carbonite.com) are just three of the many resources available. If you plan to continue with tapes, replace them annually. Tapes have a 50 percent chance of failure after 1 year. Store tapes at a reasonable distance from the agency and not in someone’s home. An ideal location is a safety deposit box in a bank at least 5 miles from your agency. Technology resources Even smaller agencies can’t afford to not include disaster preparedness and business continuity in their budgets. The following ideas will help you put together an effective disaster preparedness toolkit. o Laptop computers. Determine how many laptops are needed so staff may continue doing business if your agency is not accessible. Be sure to include extra batteries, connecting cables and other peripherals as needed. o Cell phones. Depending on the details of the disaster, your cell phones may be unavailable. Dedicated emergency phones help ensure phone access and eliminate nondisaster-related calls. Ask your local phone company if it automatically can transfer your phones to alternate numbers if service is lost or when a disaster is declared. o Analog phones. Your phone system may be unavailable in a disaster. For backup, install one or more analog phone jacks in the agency, and possibly at home for key people coordinating the disaster plan. An analog phone may provide phone access during a disaster. o Wireless Internet cards. Local phone service and cell towers will be overloaded during a disaster. Invest in a wireless card provided by AT&T, Verizon and other vendors to provide internet access during a disaster. o Flashlights. Flashlights and candles should be included in every disaster preparedness toolkit. Consider flashlights that are manually “wound up” rather than relying on batteries. o UPS. Every agency should have an uninterrupted power supply and, if warranted, a generator. Be aware that computers require specific types of power. Make sure the UPS or generator is rated to support your technology. o E-mail accounts/online chat. Set up Google e-mail (gMail) and MSN Messenger accounts that are only used during a disaster. This allows you to control the inflow of information and focus on disaster related communication. o Emergency lights. Emergency lights in the agency are usually designed to come on automatically when power is lost. o Battery maintenance. Keep batteries at room temperature and replace as needed, even if they have not been used. For rechargeable batteries, check manufacturer recommendations for fully discharging, then recharging.

Determine disaster specifics Limit the number of people authorized to declare a disaster. When the disaster is declared, agency resources, staff and reputation are put on alert, which means there is a monetary and human cost each time a disaster is declared.

Each person authorized to declare a disaster should have written instructions detailing what constitutes a disaster and what actions are to be taken once the disaster is declared. For example: