Disaster Preparedness & Vital Records Response: Course Description

Identifying what documents need to be retained as records is considered a huge step in the RIM process. But what happens when that information needs to be preserved for the long term? What happens when a disaster strikes? What happens when the business experiences a significant loss of power over several days? According to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), of all the businesses damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 (a category 4 storm), 80% of those lacking some form of business continuity plan failed within two years of the storm. Yet, even with all the warnings and advice many businesses and organizations, both large and small, fail to take effective measures to protect their documents.

Many businesses go out and buy generators to keep the lights on and may even have back-up facilities for their computers but if they have lots of paper-based records around to support their clients and run their businesses they may not find them to be readable when they come back. And if they do have a local electronic imaging system that isn't backed up or available via remote access, it will be useless if employees are scattered to the winds because of mandatory evacuations making it impossible for them to work remotely. Allowing staff members to get out of harm's way during any disaster should be a company's first priority. But if you have an effective plan for managing and preserving your working and archival documents, once the dust settles and the clouds and winds have died down, you are less likely to be one of 80% of businesses that never recover from catastrophe.

This workshop will cover business continuity planning, how to develop a vital records program to be prepared to recover business-critical records and the digital preservation process that should be in place to manage information long after the media it's on has become obsolete.

Disaster Preparedness & Vital Records Response: Objectives

• Understand the concepts of Business Continuity and Disaster Preparedness.
• Understand the Standards and Best Practices for Business Continuity Planning
• Identify Vital Records within their Organization and manage them accordingly.
• Understand how to put together a Disaster Recovery Plan
• Understand Digital Preservation and the Practices Needed to Support It.
• Understand Recovery Methods Available in the Case of a Disaster.

Disaster Preparedness & Vital Records Response: Course Format

This course will include a combination of presentations and interactive exercises and case studies so that you will thoroughly understand the Business Continuity Disaster Preparedness & Vital Records Protection process and how your Records and Information Practices must be prepared to support them.

Topics shall include:

• Introduction to Business Continuity Planning
  • What are the different components of a Business Continuity Plan
  • Why a well managed Records Management Program should be linked to the Business Continuity Planning Process
• The Business Imperative - The Costs of Not Implementing a Business Continuity Plan
• Emergency and Disaster Planning
  • Assessing Risk and Protecting Investment
  • Putting Together the Disaster Recovery Plan
• Activating the Disaster Plan
  • Checklists
  • Emergency Response Team
• Planning the Recovery
  • Assessing Damage
  • Implementing Loss Prevention Techniques
• Records Protection
  • Identifying Vital Records
  • How to Protect Vital Records
• Incorporating Vital Records Management into the Business Continuity Plan
• Recovering Analog and Digital Records
• Digital Preservation
  • Who is Responsible For Managing Digital Preservation in the Organization?
  • When Do We Need To Worry About Digital Preservation?
  • How Can Digital Preservation Be Accomplished?
• Auditing and Testing Your Business Continuity Plan and Components
• Best Practices and Case Studies in Business Continuity Planning

Disaster Preparedness & Vital Records Response: Audience

• Information Management Professionals
• Chief Information Officers
• Legal Staff, Regulatory Staff
• IT/Technical Staff
• Records Managers
• Business Managers
• IT Service Providers
• Consultants & Legal Advisors
• Information Lawyers
• Corporate Legal Secretaries
• Data Protection Officers
• Implementation Teams
• Information Architects, Archivists
• Administrative Staff
• Library Staff
• Document Control Staff