A proposed methodology to develop disaster recovery plan for CICT UTM

Abstract

In a modern world of business and enterprise organizations process, the use of Information Technology (IT) has played a big important role. Almost every organization use different types of IT instruments in order to make their daily business operations become more efficient and effective. Even though business organizations operations’ hugely dependent on using IT service, but there are problems which directly threatens IT services of business enterprises. One of the threats is disasters. Disaster is any event that causes a business interruption or discontinuation of a critical organization’s services including its information infrastructure, for unspecified period of time. The effects from disasters, either man-made or acts of natural, can cause to be an organization helpless. Every organization is susceptible to disasters either natural or mad man such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods and viruses, which happen regularly throughout the world. Many organizations have tried to develop their own disaster recovery plan but the organizations do not have a systematic approach to follow and develop their DRP. Since disaster is an unpredicted event, and could strike any time but for every ten organizations, only one has Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP). However this study will propose a methodology for Centre for Information Communication and Technology of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (CICT UTM) to develop disaster recovery plan.The proposed methodology framework consists of nine steps which are Obtain Top Management Commitment, Develop Contingency planning policy, Risk Assessment, Conduct Business Impact analyse, Develop Recovery Strategies, Emergency Response and operations, Training and Testing, Maintaining and Review and Approve the disaster Recovery Plan. The proposed DRP methodology framework will help the CICT UTM to develop their own DRP.