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RE: Business continuity good reasons to get docs up-to-date
Subject:RE: Business continuity good reasons to get docs up-to-date From:KMcLauchlan -at- chrysalis-its -dot- com To:klhwrites -at- idirect -dot- ca, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:Thu, 1 Jun 2000 11:24:38 -0400
This is only peripherally related to the topic, but...
At Ericsson in Montreal, we developed our Biz-Cont
plan in 1997. Then, ICE STORM '98 (TM) struck. Our
main facility and documentation and our (generator-
backed-up) systems were undamaged. However, we had
enormous personnel and communication problems.
People who had come to rely on being able to make a
phone call to get info, or to connect remotely to
our LAN for software and for the system documentation
they needed to help our customers... couldn't. Phone
lines, power lines and cellular antenna towers were
crushed and toppled all over the place. Often, roads
were impassable -- the office worked fine, but many
key people couldn't get to it, in timely fashion.
Also, Montreal was isolated for several days with
planes, trains and highways closed down.
So, while good, up-to-date docs are essential in a
crisis, you also need to plan alternate ways to
access them, and to grant access to others who will
need 'em.
Part of the problem with ICE STORM 98 (TM) was that
we had planned for all sorts of sudden and brutal
disasters, but not for a slow-motion disaster that
snuck up on us over many days. We should have declared
it on Monday, but didn't do so until Thursday.
Ahh, hindsight.
/kevin (now living in Ottawa)
> -----Original Message-----
> From: KL Henderson [mailto:klhwrites -at- idirect -dot- ca]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2000 12:09 PM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Business continuity good reasons to get docs up-to-date
[snip]
>
> At one of my last jobs I was a disaster recovery/business continuity
> analyst. Among other things, complete and up-to-date system
> documentation
> stored offsite was a requirement of this program. The DR plan was
> frequently audited by head office or by potential clients and
> had the power
> to make or break a deal.
> Under our plan, each department was responsible for updating its own
> documentation.
> Unfortunately, the techies never got around to updating their
> documentation
> while I was there. They never had time, it wasn't their
> responsibility,
> etc.
> They would have been thrilled to turn it over to a tech
> writer I'm sure.
> I don't know what kind of business your company does, but
> business continuity is a good reason to keep the
> documentation current.
> Unfortunately, it is often not taken seriously until the
> advent of flood or
> flames.
>
> Regards,
> klh
