Terms of Reference for the Disaster Recovery Working Group: April 2007

Introduction

Despite the title of this working group as specifically focused on Disaster Recovery, it is generally viewed throughout BCNET member institutions that Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is ultimately the preferable model. From a network perspective, BCP simply amounts to redundancy, while DR encompasses the more inconvenient task of transporting data off-site. However, staying true to the BCNET mandate of stimulating inter-institutional discussions on network and IT related topics of relevance to BCNET members, this group will address both disaster recovery and BCP practices and initiatives.

Purpose

Disaster Recovery is a working group under the Applications Advisory Committee. The working group will advise the APAC as to the needs of the member institutions regarding BCP and disaster recovery strategies to be used over BCNET as addressed and discussed by member representatives.

The working group:

• Will seek methods to facilitate cooperative agreements between institutions.
• Will seek to stimulate the use of BCNET in members' BCP and disaster recovery plans, such as exploitation of BCNET as back-up for always-on services.
• Will provide a forum for the sharing of BCP/disaster recovery best practices and current member institution initiatives.
• Will seek to identify common areas of interest amongst institutions and facilitate collaboration and partnering between BCNET members.
• Will examine the infrastructure needs for BCP and disaster recovery within the member institutions and estimate the changes needed for BCNET.

Current Membership
Chair - Colin Leavett-Brown, UVic
Margaret Sayer, UBC
Steve Beaudry, RRU
Robert Lucas, UNBC
Jaime Garcia, BCIT
Wes Cole, TRU
David Burkholder, TRU
Steve Hillman, SFU

Activities
• Create a directory of resources, including contacts, services and space available.
• Implement small pilot projects, such as identifying a member institution and developing a DR plan to be put in place there.
• Advise the BCNET Conference Program Committee as to content for the annual conference.

Operations
The working group will meet at least three times each fiscal year. One of those meetings should be held coincident with the annual conference. All meetings will use videoconferencing for those members who are unable to attend at the BCNET office.

Agenda and prior meeting minutes will be distributed to members in advance of all meetings.

A chair will be appointed, assisted by a co-chair. The chair, or in his/her absence, the co-chair, will organize and run all meetings.

Recommendations will be made to APAC via resolutions contained in meeting minutes.

BCNET staff will be responsible for creating draft documents and meeting minutes.

The working group is openly accessible to BCNET Board members, other working group members and staff.