IT Infrastructure Support for Emergencies

1
IT Infrastructure Support for Emergencies

• August 4, 2006

2
Some Drivers

• Auditors and traditional Disaster Recovery views
• 9/11
• 2001 Univ. of Maryland College Park Tornado
• Potential Pandemic

3
Traditional DR Risks

• Fire
• Flood
• Power Outage
• Equipment Failure
• Human Error

4
Traditional DR Issues

• Save the data
• Be sure you can restore the data center
• Have a DR Plan
• Test it occasionally
• Train staff

5
Traditional DR Approaches

• Store data off-site
• Take tapes somewhere
• More recently, mirror data outside the data
  center
• Have backup UPS and generator
• Have a hot site, cold site, etc.

6
Next Stage DR

• Its not just about restoring the business
  operations
• Communications are an immediate need
• Web site is a vital vehicle
• Has to be up all the time----whether the data
  center survives or not
• Email is like air---has to be there no matter
  what
• Telephony is expected, but experience shows that
  there arent good solutions in a major disaster
• TextMessaging seems to have worked during Katrina
  disaster

7
Post Katrina

• Data Center backups have to be gt50 miles away
• It may not be only you who has a problem
• Cant necessarily plan on normal infrastructure
  to be in place
• Electricity, telephones, cell phones may not be
  working

8
Katrina Lessons Learned

• Its all about people
• Your staff
• Administration in exile
• Those you serve

9
Your Staff

• Do they know where to go?
• Do they know how to communicate?
• They may have personal crisis response issues

10
Administration in Exile

• They may have the same issues as above
• Additionally they will have to be prepared and
  supported, to lead
• Communications, computers, printers, etc.

11
Those you Serve

• Faculty, staff, students
• Maintain the academic program
• Salvage research

12
IT Planning is one thing, but..

• Real issues are institution-wide business
  continuity planning on services supported by IT
• ACADEMIC SERVICES - academic computing, distance
  education, institutional research,instructional
  technologies, libraries, network services,
  teaching labs
• STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM - advising, financial
  aid, admissions, records registration, student
  accounts, articulation electronic transcripts
• FINANCIAL SERVICES- accounting, accounts payable,
  banking, budgeting, fixed assets, grant
  accounting, indirect cost accounting, payroll,
  student accounts receivable,working fund
• HUMAN RESOURCES- recruitment, benefits, training,
  payroll, time attendance, EEO operations,
  position control, classification and
  compensation, contract preparation, reference
• BUSINESS SERVICES (Auxiliary)- athletics, bank
  transaction system, bookstore, card system,
  conference services, dining services, housing,
  parking, postal services, print copy services,
  ticketing services, travel services, vending
  machines
• ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES- procurement, facilities
  management, construction management,
  telecommunications, public safety, environmental
  health and safety, vehicles, research
• ALUMNI/INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT - alumni
  development, fund raising

13
Lifeboat

• Brian Voss of LSU suggests having a lifeboat
  strategy
• Grab and go supplies to reestablish the
  institution elsewhere
• Certainly key services infrastructure services
  need to have off-site mirror
• DNS service
• Website
• Email
• CMS

14
Secondary Effects

• What if you dont have a crisis but a near-by
  institution does?
• In a System, there is an expectation of mutual
  support
• Major disasters have shown that FEMA, National
  Guard, etc. may show up and take over your
  facility and preempt your staff

15
What Next?

• We rarely get hurricanes, occasionally get hit by
  tornadoes, but
• We have institutions that could be affected by
  terrorist attack
• We have serious concerns regarding events such as
  a pandemic

16
Pandemic Planning

• Currently each of our institutions is creating
  such a plan
• Not sure what the IT implications are yet, but
  there certainly will be such
• Scenario---what if Governor declares an emergency
  and closes down all public gatherings? Can we
  stay in business?

17
Segue

• What is the role of ALN in such a situation?

18
Some references

• LSU CIO Brian Voss
• http//www.educause.edu/LibraryDetailPage/666?IDE
  NT06019
• Chronicle of Higher Education Compendium
• http//chronicle.com/indepth/katrina/
• Flu Wiki
• http//www.fluwikie.com/pmwiki.php?nMain.HomePage
  
• CDC Planning Guides for Educational Institutions
• http//www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/tab5.html
• Univ of Calif System Plans Post-Katrina
• ww.educause.edu/ir/library/powerpoint/WRC0675.pps