Beginnings Issue 8.pub - Planning Institute of Jamaica

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P a g e 10 B eginnings I s s u e 8 Sustainable Development Events MARCH 2007 Financing Of Forest Conservation: Payments For Environmental Services In The Tropics Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, New Haven, United States of America Mar 2, 2007 to Mar 3, 2007 Fifth Session Of The Committee For The Review Of The Un Convention To Combat Desertification Buenos Aires, Argentina Mar 12, 2007 to Mar 21, 2007 International Conference on Water and Flood Management Dhaka, Bangladesh Mar 12, 2007 to Mar 14, 2007 World Day for Water 2007 Around the world., Mar 22, 2007 to Mar 22, 2007 MDG Watch APRIL 2007 For details on these and other conferences visit: http://www.sdgateway.net/events/ Seventh Session Of Un Forum On Forests New York, NY, United States of America Apr 16, 2007 to Apr 27, 2007 Twenty-First Session of the UN-HABITAT Governing Council Nairobi, Kenya Apr 16, 2007 to Apr 20, 2007 International Conference on Climatic Changes and their Impacts on Coastal Zones and River Deltas: Vulnerability, Mitigation and Adaptation Alexandria, Egypt Apr 21, 2007 to Apr 25, 2007 Fifteenth Session Of The Un Commission On Sustainable Development New York, New York, United States of America Apr 30, 2007 to May 11, 2007
P a g e 11 B eginnings I s s u e 8 Part II Background In our last issue In Focus excerpts of the proceedings of the Central Information Technology Office (CITO) Regional Summit to promote disaster preparedness through the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) were presented. The three-day Summit focused on utilizing ICT to engender Business Continuity Management (BCM) in light of the growing frequency of natural disasters. The last issue looked at the issues of Event Management and the Chief Risk Officer, Business Continuity Plan and the Role of Business Impact Analysis. This quarter, we conclude our two part story by looking at Local and Wide Area Networks and Lessons Learned from Regional Disasters Local & Campus Communications: LAN/WAN/Voice The importance of ensuring continuity in the operation of Local Area and Wide Area Networks(LAN/WAN) was also highlighted at the summitt. A local area network (LAN) is a computer network covering a local area, like a home, office, or group of buildings. On the other hand a wide area network or WAN is a computer network covering a broad geographical area. The largest and most well-known example of a WAN is the Internet. WANs are used to connect local area networks (LANs) together, so that users and computers in one location can communicate with users and computers in other locations. The following factors, among others, were highlighted as being of importance to maintenance of a LAN or WAN in the event of a disaster: • Power - The availability of power, reliable backup power source is essential for faster recovery • Hardware – equipment should be insured, vendors who can quickly replace equipment should be identified. A Contingency Operations Center should be established. • Security – ensure that network rooms are made with concrete roofs, with no windows and a reliable cooling system In Focus Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Utilizing Information and Communication Technology An Account of the Proceedings of the Central Information Technology Office (CITO) Regional Summit, May 2005 • Wiring – Ensure that building is wired with smoke alarm systems. A label maker is essential for the labelling of cables. A wiring diagram must be kept onsite (preferably on the wall) as well as offsite. Keep an extra roll of the most used cabling and keep cables off the floor. Where telephone lines are concerned, know where lines aggregate and which lines are yours where the service is shared. Recovery – Ensure that there are regular network, voice and data back-ups Lessons Learned from Regional Disasters This presentation focused on key areas to consider when creating or updating business continuity plans with reference to Hurricane Katrina and other major disasters. Like other presentations, this also highlighted the importance of ensuring staff welfare and safety in the event of a natural disaster. Among the focus areas were: • People – employees must be considered prior to, during, and after an event • Communication – the most reliable mode of communication in a disaster must be determined be it cell phones, email, home phones, cordless phones, satellite phones • • Data Availability – utilize electronic media , store backup data in multiple locations • Plan Currency - crisis management plan must be kept current. The plans should also be integrated with IT and business. The plan should be tested annually. • Insurance – understand risks, inventorize your assets The conference was useful as it drew attention to the importance of planning for a natural and man made disasters in the context of information technology in the business. It was also encouraging to see that local IT businesses and young entrepreneurs attach a great level of importance to the disaster management element of their business function.
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