CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Disaster Scenarios

3. Responsibility

4. General Office Recovery

Accommodation

Office Equipment

Finance

Communication

Incidents at Client Sites

5. Information Technology

6. Security Arrangements

7. Review and Testing Procedures

8. Recovery Box Details

1. INTRODUCTION

As part of the company’s governance and risk assessment framework, this disaster recovery guidance outlines the necessary steps to be taken by members of staff in the extreme event of a significant disaster occurring within the company.

The provision of business continuity is vital to the future of the company and in the event of a significant disaster this can be seriously compromised. This guidance sets out the framework and instructions to be followed in the event of a disaster by any member(s) of staff to ensure business continuity is assured.

With this aim in mind it is necessary for Training 2000 to consider how it would continue to operate and provide essential services in the event of a disaster, which could potentially affect this service provision. This guidance considers the likely requirements in the event of a disaster scenario as outlined in section 2 and lays out a framework for responding to, and coping with, such a situation in a way that ensures essential services are quickly re-established.

2. DISASTER SCENARIOS

There are potentially many disasters that can affect the smooth operation of the company. There are so many that it would be unreasonable to list every possible scenario. This guidance covers major disaster planning including total destruction of buildings including partial destruction or loss of files and equipment. The extent to the level of disaster will depend on the nature of the disaster and the impact to the business continuity of the company. The responsibility will rest with the most senior level of manager(s) available at the time of the disaster. The appropriate elements of this document can be used in the event of only partial destruction or loss.

A disaster can be described as a calamitous event, especially one occurring suddenly and causing great loss of life or severe damage / hardship such as an explosion, flood or severe accidents that could cause a business failure.

It will be the responsibility of the most senior person available to assess the severity of the disaster and to implement this disaster recovery plan.

3. RESPONSIBILITY

In the event of a disaster the Chief Executive Officer will be responsible for co-ordinating the disaster recovery plan and establishing and heading a Crisis Team to deal with the disaster and to ensure clear communications are in place to deal with the resulting issues. In the event of absence of the Chief Executive Officer, the responsibility will lie with a member of the Group Executive Management Team. In the event of the GEMT being unavailable the Disaster Recovery Steering Group will be responsible for coordinating the recovery plan, Group members are as follows – Chief Executive, GEMT Member, Head of Infrastructure & Facilities, nominated representatives from HSE, ICT, Business Assurance, HR, Finance, marketing and communications.

The Crisis Team Co-ordinator will assess the extent of the disaster and pull together experienced staff members who will be responsible for discharging the actions to deal with the crisis by actioning the following:-

  • Pull the Crisis Teams together.
  • Be in possession of the recovery box (highlighted later in the plan)
  • Agree the course of action and communication plan to key stakeholders and staff.
  • Ensure effective communications take place between teams (establish hourly meetings)
  • Assign and agree tasks stated in this document in the event of nominated persons being unavailable.
  • Arrange for a telephone contact list of staff and link this to the communications plan highlighting key responsibilities and actions that are required to address the specific needs of the disaster.
  • Co ordinate with the board of trustees, external services and press

The Crisis Team Co-ordinator will designate team leader roles as appropriate. In instances where buildings have been damaged severely, all staff except essential staff may be required to work out of another site or from home until a temporary or permanent office base is established.

In the event of serious injury to staff, members of the public who are on site or customers on site, the crisis team will ensure that this takes first priority and the safety of others are the priority before any other actions are taken.

(Note: Lists of contact numbers for those with responsibility for the various aspects of recovery are to be stored in the recovery Box).

A copy of this Disaster Recovery Plan will be provided to all Managers and GEMT Members.

4. GENERAL OFFICE RECOVERY

ACCOMMODATION - Responsibility for this element will be with the Head of Facilities & Infrastructure (In case of their absence responsibility will lie with a member of GEMT).

Temporary offices will need to be found in the event of total and, in some circumstances, partial office / site destruction. The size of accommodation required will depend on the length of time Training 2000 will operate from that location prior to a return to the office / area where the disaster has taken place. At the time of the disaster it will be necessary to assess the likely length of stay in temporary accommodation and determine whether accommodation is required for a 'skeleton staff' or for all staff. At this stage a decision should be made by the Crisis Team as to the possible relocation of staff to other ‘unaffected’ Training 2000 sites. The Head of Infrastructure & Facilities will also be responsible for ensuring that all action taken is in accordance with the terms and conditions of Training 2000’s insurance cover. The location of any temporary office accommodation will depend on what is available at the time of the disaster but ideally it should:

  • Be located within the locality of the office/site that has been affected.
  • Provide adequate accommodation for either a full or 'skeleton' workforce and associated equipment and working files.
  • Provide easy access for clients.
  • Include appropriate services to enable the prompt installation of a telephone, computer and other electrical equipment.

When a temporary address is available, the Post Office will need to be notified to ensure all post is redirected. If operations are moved to an alternative Training 2000 site then post again will require redirecting as necessary.

OFFICE EQUIPMENT – Responsibility for this element will be with the Finance representative (In case of their absence responsibility will lie with a member of the GEMT).

1)Other Electrical Items

The purchase or rental of other essential electrical equipment such as a photocopier and fax machine will also be necessary. The extent of any damage, the likely length of stay in temporary accommodation, and the terms and conditions of the insurance guidance will determine whether purchase or rental is appropriate.

Note: The replacement of ICT equipment is dealt with under a separate section later on in this plan and team(s) member(s) from ICT will need to liaise with appointed finance person(s).

2)Office Furniture

The purchase or rental of essential office furniture will also be necessary. Again the extent of any damage, the likely length of stay in temporary accommodation, and the terms and conditions of the insurance guidance will determine whether purchase or rental is appropriate.

3)Stationery

Potentially a new supply of all forms of stationery will be required including letterheads showing the temporary address.

FINANCE – Responsibility for this element will be with the Finance Director (In case of their absence responsibility will lie with a member of the GEMT)

Insurers will need to be notified of the situation and Training 2000’s position with regard to claims to be established. The payroll service will need to be maintained so that salary payments are continued through the crisis period. Training 2000’s bank (NatWest) should be informed ASAP and the signatories contacted (Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Finance Director and Director of Business & Educational Standards) to request new cash books, cheque books and credit cards as a matter of urgency. The Finance team will need to liaise closely with IT to enable finance systems to be established as quickly as possible once a new location has been arranged and relevant computer systems acquired.

Key suppliers and customers should be contacted to inform them to expect payment delays due to the disaster occurrence and that the company will work with them to ensure business continuity is maintained

COMMUNICATION - Responsibility for this element will be with the Head of Business Services (In case of their absence responsibility will lie with a member of the GEMT)

In the event of a disaster, communication with our clients, partners and external suppliers will be essential – in line with the current Crisis Communications Procedure PR/GN.58.

The responsibilities of the Communication Team will be:

  • To ensure all staff and clients (including our contact at client sites where Training 2000 staff are based) are kept informed of the situation and progress. If possible a message to be posted onto the website and updated hourly.
  • Press and Media to be notified of situation and given alternative contact details to broadcast to local community.
  • Notify as soon as possible our solicitors, funders, regulatory bodies and employment agencies of current situation, alternative contact details and proposed plans.
  • To deal with any press, TV or other media organisations
  • Communicate to the board of Trustees and keep them updated of progress.

INCIDENTS AT CLIENT SITES: In the event of a serious incident at any of our client sites the Director of Enterprise will open a communication link with the affected site. The Director of Enterprise will ensure that the client sites are aware of the contact arrangements with Training 2000 head office in the event of any serious incident.

The HR Team maintain a current list, with up-to-date contact details, of all staff which includes details of staff based at client sites. The Director of Enterprise is responsible for ensuring that staff at client sites are informed of any incidents which may affect their working environment; this is generally included within the client site Disaster Recovery/ Business Continuity planning but this must be confirmed and included in the crisis communication procedure.

5. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Responsibility for this element will be with the ICT representative (In case of their absence responsibility will lie with the Head of Infrastructure & Facilities / ICT Support Company)

The responsibilities for the ICT Team are as follows, depending on the severity of the disaster and which site has been affected:

  • Work initially on Accommodation so that ICT requirements are met
  • Locate and retrieve backup media and software
  • Procure hardware and Software to enable temporary service
  • Procure pc’s for onsite staff in line with insurance guidance (possibility to share – hotdesk / relocate from other T2000 sites)
  • If required arrange to deliver the above to temporary offices
  • Liaise with local cabling companies for emergency cabling if required
  • Contact ISP to arrange alternative connectivity
  • Configure Server(s)
  • Load the backups and restore critical software
  • Restore mission critical applications
  • High priority applications configured i.e. Yeti, Sage, Email, File Storage Resource index and Web AV
  • Lower priority files and applications configured / installed
  • Set up e-mail address (within 24 hours)

Telephony System –

If required an appropriate telephone system will need to be installed to support the number of staff to be located within the temporary accommodation. The installation of such a system and the procurement of lines from BT can take some time so the need for this should be assessed in the early stages of the disaster by the Crisis Team.

As an alternative company mobiles could be used and BT contacted to redirect the main switchboard number of the site affected to one such mobile.

If operations are transferred to an alternative Training 2000 site then the main switchboard number should immediately be transferred to the alternative site so that calls can be taken by reception and transferred to the relevant person.

Whatever action is taken it is important to ensure that Training 2000’s existing phone number is retained and an incoming and outgoing telephone and fax line is established as soon as possible. A hotline with an answer phone message advising on current situation and general enquiries will need to be set up as soon as possible, this again could be on a company mobile or alternative site.

The ICT Team will also obtain all relevant backup media from storage and/or fire proof safes so that data recovery can be undertaken.

6. SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS

Responsibility for this element will be with the Head of Infrastructure & Facilities (In case of their absence responsibility will lie with a member of the GEMT)

In the event of a disaster the priority will be the safety of people. The security team will work with the emergency services and selected people around the company to ensure people safety is prioritised before ensuring the site is ‘locked down’ and secure to stop any unauthorised access. Staff and learner safety and security should be maintained and the security team will have responsibility for ensuring temporary security arrangements are in place to ensure the safety of the site, people and the company assets are protected.

7. REVIEW & TESTING PROCEDURES

A review of the disaster recovery plan will be completed annually by the Head of Infrastructure & Facilities. The review will follow testing of the procedures for General Office Recovery. Testing will also be undertaken annually by the ICT department.

Business Assurance will undertake an arbitrary test of the Disaster Plan initiation process on an annual basis as well as a ‘spot’ check to ensure the information on the Disaster Recovery drive is current at irregular intervals throughout the year.

8. RECOVERY BOX

The Training 2000 Limited Disaster Recovery Plan Instructions / Recovery Box will be held in two places within the company; the safe in the Hargreaves Building on the Executive Floor at our Blackburn Site (safe key located in either the Finance Department or CEO PA’s key safe – contact Security, K Walkden or S Gray) and the safe in the Sutton Building in the Facilities Cellar at our Nelson Site (safe key located in key safe in cellar – contact Security, R Crabtree). Contact details are as follows –

Security Estates Manager – 07816 151093

Security Officer – 07890 169830

Nelson SiteSecurity Officer – 07967 333214

Head of Facilities and Infrastructure – 07989133452

This document can be recovered from the CD stored in each safe along with the company data recovery tapes, the information contained is Company Confidential and contains Private and Confidential information and must not be circulated beyond the scope of this guidance. The critical items detailed below will be stored on the CD along with a copy of this document in the Blackburn & Nelson Safes. The Server Backup Tapes will also be stored alongside.

  1. Critical ICT recovery information.
  2. Company Mobile Phone Lists.
  3. Recovery instructions for accessing HR staffing lists / emergency contacts (snowdrop)
  4. Instructions for recovery access to preferred and current supplier lists i.e.:
  5. ICT Suppliers
  6. Plumbers
  7. Electricians
  8. Builders
  9. Stationery Suppliers
  10. Fire and Security Suppliers
  11. Banks
  12. Funding bodies
  13. Clients, companies and partners
  14. Portacabin Suppliers
  15. Instruction for recovery of company insurance details for all sites.
  16. Instructions for accessing emergency banking facilities
  17. Emergency contact numbers for the Company Board of Trustees
  18. Instructions for emergency security arrangements

PLEASE NOTE: The contents of the instructions will be kept with the CD and will be kept in a sealed envelope only to be opened in case of emergency. The information contained is Company Confidential and contains Private and Confidential information and must not be used or circulated beyond the scope of this guidance.

(Company Confidential)

BUSINESS CONTINUITY

DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN

INSTRUCTIONS / RECOVERY BOX DETAILS

CONTENTS OF THIS RECOVERY BOX INSTRUCTION

  1. Critical ICT recovery Information
  2. ICT ISP information and passwords
  3. ICT Network Diagrams and Server Roles
  4. Critical Software including operating systems, MI/HR/Finance
  5. Emergency recovery instruction for ICT data
  1. Company Mobile Phone Lists
  1. Recovery instructions for accessing HR staffing lists / emergency contacts (snowdrop)
  1. Instructions for recovery access to preferred and current supplier lists
  1. Instruction for recovery of company insurance details for all sites
  1. Instructions for accessing emergency banking facilities
  1. Emergency contact numbers for the Company Board of Trustees

Instructions for emergency security arrangements

  1. CRITICAL ICT RECOVERY INFORMATION
  • All “First Actions” needed to recover ICT systems can be found within the Document titled “First Actions – ICT Recover”. An electronic copy can be found within the Backup CD under Disaster Recovery – ICT Listings.
  • Full ISP and Contact Details can be found within the Backup CD under Disaster Recovery – ICT Listings\01 – Contact Details\Disaster Recovery Contacts – ICT.xls
  • Network Diagrams, Server Roles, VLAN & ASA Configurations can be found within the Backup CD under Disaster Recovery - ICT Listings\03 - Network Configuration\01 - Key Information\
  • Listings for all critical software can be found within the Backup CD under Disaster Recovery – ICT Listings\01 – Contact Details\Disaster Recovery Contacts – ICT.xls
  • Working Instructions to restore software can be found within the Backup CD under Disaster Recovery - ICT Listings\02 - Backup Workings Instructions.