Recovering From a Major IT Disaster: Five Ways to Prepare For the Worst Case Scenario

• Location: Feb 1, 2010 3:45 PM-4:30 PM C220-C222
• Presenter: Eric Unangst, Director of Technology, Woodridge Local School District (Summit)
• Audience: Technology Administrators and Support Staff
• Session Overview: Recovering From a Major IT Disaster (.pdf)
• PowerPoint: Recovering From a Major IT Disaster (.pptx, 3.4 MB, 34 slides)

• References: IT Disaster Articles Disaster Recovery Plans
• Related: IT Disaster Factoids Videos

• Core Documents:
• IT Disaster Recovery Template (.doc)
• Profiting Through Disaster Preparedness (.pdf)
• IT Disaster Response Timeline (.xlsx)

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Session Description This topic aligns with the spirit of the Technology Conference as it will help to prepare other technology directors and IT support staff for disaster preparedness. Our district was fortunate to have survived a recent electrical fire which knocked out power for 56 hours and burnt our fiber optic connection without any data loss. We'd like to share both our successes and failures as well as the documentation and procedures which we now have in place should this strike another district in the future.

Everything from the logistics of running servers and core switches on generators to off site data storage and pre-planned recovery checklists will be discussed. Attendees will be able to walk out of our session with at least a rough framework for how they can go about creating their own disaster preparations based upon the templates and ideas which we highlight in our sessions.

Attendees will be encouraged to share their own experiences and suggestions for disaster preparations in collaborative brainstorming sessions. The needs of diverse learners will be met as this format provides all attendees with the chance to share their own thoughts and experiences in a small group format before sharing back with the full group. Participants in this session will walk away with a disaster preparation checklist and additional best practices suggestions. They will be given documented best practices, disaster recovery guidelines and a better understanding of how their preparations ahead of time will help to restore essential services quickly.