NCJ Number
220996
Date Published
September 2007
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article proposes a strategy for determining who needs access to what information in developing comprehensive continuity of operations (COOP) plans that will ensure ongoing access to government-related information and services during and after catastrophic events.
Abstract
Whether a government agency is faced with a weather event, a public health threat, or an accidental power outage, it must be prepared to provide flexible, sure, secure access to applications, data, and people, so that citizen interaction and assistance can continue. In addition, if the data center is also off-limits during the crisis, information-technology administrators need a way to manage systems remotely. There are four critical components of a strategy for ensuring that access to critical government information and services continues in a crisis that threatens their disruption: training, communication, criteria for success, and testing. Training must ensure that employees know what to do in any conceivable situation so that work can continue unabated. A communication plan must assist every employee in understanding that his/her daily challenges and issues have been considered in the development of the COOP plan. Criteria for a successful implementation of the COOP plan must be clear, so that employees will understand how their performance under crisis conditions will be measured. The COOP plan at each site must be tested in order to ensure that it works. This article concludes with an example of a successful COOP in action during Florida's 2004 hurricane season. During the largest evacuation in Florida's history (Hurricane Frances), city employees were able to access the city's network over the Internet.