Whether you are responsible for a large business, an information technology (IT) department, or a home office, you need to understand disaster recovery planning. This book is about disaster recovery planning for critical infrastructure and, in particular, communications infrastructure.
The book contains ten chapters. The first chapter discusses the need for planning in order to keep a business running--or at least recover quickly--following a disaster. The need to protect shareholder value in commercial enterprises and the legal responsibilities of senior management are also covered. Chapter 2 covers preparedness planning in the area of command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (4Ci), using terminology borrowed from the military. The examples provided focus on the communications needs of an organization to continue to function during a disaster. Chapter 3 discusses disaster event categories, the systems that may be affected, the impact of an event, and preventative measures that can be taken to mitigate the impact--all standard business risk management processes. Chapter 4 works through several case studies that provide examples of risks to critical infrastructure from natural disasters. Chapter 5 describes how satellite infrastructure can be used to provide communications during a disaster. The technologies available are discussed in quite good detail. Of course, access to satellites for disaster recovery may be unavailable or prohibitively expensive in some parts of the world. Chapter 6 provides advice on cost assessment and justification for disaster recovery planning. Chapter 7 discusses the unique vulnerabilities of telecommunications infrastructure used both inside an organization and for communications between an organization and its suppliers and customers. The chapter also discusses the (interesting and currently topical) impact of a pandemic on telecommunications infrastructure.
Chapter 8 ties the preceding chapters together into an example disaster recovery plan for a fictitious company. The structure of a plan is developed and key sections are fleshed out with example content. This chapter is a guide to preparing a disaster recovery plan.
Chapter 9 presents interesting reference material and, in the same vein, chapter 10 contains a long list of organizations, consultants, and information sources associated with disaster recovery planning. The book has a significant North American focus, particularly regarding laws, regulations, legal responsibilities, and information sources.
The book is easy to read and the authors have vast experience in disaster planning. The topic of the book is of enduring interest to senior management and occasionally--but all too fleetingly--politicians and the general public. Although there are numerous other books available on disaster recovery planning, few focus on communications as this one does. The example plan provided in chapter 8 will be particularly helpful to those who are preparing business disaster communications plans.
