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Business Continuity Technology Planning

DVI Communications has been involved in critical communications, disaster recovery planning, business continuity planning, risk management, technology continuity, and business process re-engineering for decades for a number of marquee clients. Let us help you address the technology and communications challenges fostered on businesses and institutions by recent pandemic events.

Recent events reinforce the need for the establishment of reliable, validated, and tested solutions to support unpredictable or ‘black swan’ events. While firm hope that certain adverse events never occur and, thus, do not explicitly seek to make large investments in preparedness and inventorying – whether physical or in terms of communication capacity –smart planning that looks at deploying nimble, yet effective solutions is very desirable.

Over the years DVI Communications has assisted clients, organizations and government agencies deploy civilian and military survivable networks. DVI was involved with some of the earliest Wall Street Disaster Recovery Plans, it was involved in massive Y2K service continuity planning for a tier 1 carrier, and corporate H1N1 planning for a multi-billion dollar firm. DVI has supported mayor mission-critical and public safety operations in the metro NYC region for years. Our services include but are not limited to:

  • Risk Assessment
  • Impact analysis
  • Technology Business Continuity planning
  • Technology Business Continuity infrastructure deployment
  • Technology Business Continuity infrastructure testing
  • Validation
  • Measurement
  • Training

More specifically, DVI Communications can assist client firms orchestrate an effective response, including:

  • Emergency Response – Preservation of life and assets, rapid evacuation following disaster notification, liaison with emergency personnel (government), development of emergency operations center
  • Crisis Management – Liaison with employees, media, building owners, customers, shareholders, government authorities, informational website
  • Disaster Recovery – Systems, Facilities and Procedures to support the rapid resumption of mission critical operations
  • Security – countermeasures to prevent certain disasters
  • Business Resumption – Re-establishment of those business processes essential to the survival of the business
  • Business Restoration – Longer term re-establishment of non-critical business processes and return to normal operations

Proven methodologies applied by DVI staff to a number of situations include:

  • Project Definition – The goals and objectives of the BCP must be defined including schedule, budget and performance goals and the active involvement of entities within the business, a key ingredient for success.
  • Risk Assessment and Mitigation – Defines the type of disasters, the damage caused by disasters to different components of business infrastructure and the alternate strategies, technologies and methods to prevent, back-up and minimize the damage.
  • Business Vulnerability – Identifies priority of certain operations (mission-critical and routine), quantifies and qualifies the impact on business operations caused by various disasters, assesses their likelihood, and establishes recovery priorities.
  • Analyze and Select Business Continuity Strategies – Perform cost-benefit-risk analysis of various alternatives to back-up, support mission-critical operations with an orderly return to normal operation. Establish return-on-investment (ROI) of all strategies. Select the strategy that satisfies goals and objectives with the best ROI.
  • Develop Business Recovery and Business Continuity Plans – Detailed processes, responsibilities, personnel, and escalation/liaison procedures are defined, taking into account all disciplines including prevention, incident reporting, evacuation, emergency response disaster recovery, crisis management, security, and long-term restoration to normal operation.
  • Establish Awareness and Training Program – On-going reinforcement of the BCP
  •  Periodic Exercise of BCP – Fire drills, simulated failures, and worst case scenarios

DVI Communications can assist client firms hardening the information technology and facilities infrastructure, including

Facilities

  • Alternate Back-up Site Selection – Location is critical.
  • Security to both Back-up and Primary Facilities – Preventing disasters.
  • Sustaining Operations in the Facility – Multiple energy sources (dual utility feeds/service entrances, uninterruptible power supplies with battery back-up, multiple power distribution units) as well as diesel generators and fuel cells.
  • Fire Protection Systems – Dry pipe sprinklers and gaseous agents for suppression, crosszoning with different sensors (smoke, heat, etc.) for detection.
  • Reliable HVAC running off diesel to accommodate equipment operation and personnel.

Technology

  • Survivable cable plants with built-in redundancy, patching and passive or active work arounds. Licensed electrical contractors can install such systems to specifications.
  • Back-up telecommunications services/facilities with route diversity and automatic switchover from multiple carriers serviced out of different central offices. Offerings such as reconfigurable networks are available from Tier 1 carriers.
  • Use of wireless distribution (for voice and data) to bypass wire line facilities and allow relocation of personnel (in and out of the facility). This includes in-building wireless, cellular, UHF/VHF radios, satellite and microwave.
  • Call redirection service (to allow transparency of call completion to the same number at different locations; currently available from Verizon and others)
  • Use of advanced, but secure voice over IP technology (VoIP) to facilitate a distributed workforce and also bypass cable cuts, facilities, and switch failures.
  • Setup of distributed call centers
  • Use of advanced but secure videoconferencing, collaborative tools, and distributed teaming
  • Stand-by Just-In-Time Delivery of equipment to warm and cold sites. Arrangements can be made direct with manufacturers or manufacturer representatives for the warehousing of equipment that can rapidly be shipped in the event of a disaster.

Information Processing Systems

  • Moving services to the cloud, but in a secure manner
  • Supporting effectively and securely a work-at-home workforce
  • Heavy use of Internet technologies also in conjunction with 4G/5G services
  • Back-up Redundant Processing of critical applications
  • Real-time synchronization of data
  • High density SANs and storage arrays with RAID recovery
  • Vital Records Retention (using storage area network to download off-site electronic vaults)