Montgomery Completes IT Security, Disaster Plan
Integrated Computer Solutions, Inc., a full-service information security and technology consulting firm headquartered in Montgomery, Ala., announced on May 20 it has completed a two-year business continuity and disaster recovery preparedness planning project with the Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board of the city of Montgomery.
The project included a comprehensive evaluation of the Board’s IT network architecture and systems management processes, with logical and physical security analyses and risk assessments at the downtown agency’s headquarters, as well as 10 outlying facilities.
While many public sector agencies across the country are taking steps to create operational continuity plans, the board also recognized the need to add plans for continuity of IT operations to its existing recovery programs.
During the course of the project, the consulting team met with each department within the agency to identify and prioritize functions based on business value and potential impact to the citizens the agency serves. Together, they were able to develop a business continuity and disaster recovery plan that includes requirements to implement redundant critical systems so the board can resume IT operations in as little as 48 hours following an unplanned outage.
Once the plan was complete, the team conducted a series of recovery drills using various practical disaster scenarios, thereby proving that once the plan is implemented, the organization will have the ability to continue critical business IT functions at planned levels of service. It also confirmed that no single disaster will have the ability to wipe out the board’s recovery processes.
“The Board recognized the need for a comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery plan to ensure resilience in the face of a disaster of any kind,” said General Manager Thomas R. “Buddy” Morgan. “By working with Integrated Computer Solutions and taking these proactive steps, we can now significantly reduce the negative impacts a disaster could have on operations and have strengthened our service level capacity considerably. ICS has provided us with a roadmap to continue testing, training and exercise of the program to mature our response capabilities into the future,” he stated.