Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery 
and Continuity of Operations Planning 

Service Description

The Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Plans for all agencies of the Executive Branch of State Government and Higher Education are due annually on Sept. 1.  

The purpose of this service area is to provide state entities a common source of planning tools to address Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery requirements. Since there are a wide range of differences between agencies, higher education institutions and other state organizations, the Office of State Finance (OSF) has provided 3 different templates. OSF has also provided a Toolkit from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) that explains the strategic importance and the tactical value of preparing and developing these plans.

These documents, including the toolkit, are designed around checklists that can be used to prepare the agency plan(s). OSF recommends that customers review the toolkit first to become familiar with the process in general, which can simplify selecting the template that best fits agency needs. The templates are designed to be modular and to address the areas of consequence for both business and technology functions.

Template Details

• The COOP Template – The Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) can be used by organizations of all sizes. It is based on an original format provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish the basic policies, definitions and assumptions that form the framework for the planning process. The COOP format has been modified to include some of the basic aspects of "emergency preparedness," in addition to the original intent of being the overarching plan that combines all aspects of continuity planning. This can make it appealing to smaller organizations and for remote segments of larger organizations.
  
• The Business Continuity Plan Template – This plan focuses on preparing for the recovery of "critical business functions and processes," in the absence or loss of the normal office environment (business work areas) and/or the loss of the technology tools and services typically used in daily business operations. It is designed to address any business interruption that renders the facility inoperable or unusable. The purpose of this planning process is to ensure:
  1. The safety of employees and visitors;
  2. That threats are identified and restricted before they cause damage or disruption;
  3. That plans are prepared in advance to allow business functions to continue with the least amount of interruption; and
  4. That plans and procedures are documented to provide quick and effective execution of recovery strategies
     
• The Disaster Recovery Plan Template – This plan focuses on the recovery of "technology assets and services" required to support critical business functions.  This plan is intended to restore the operability of designated systems and applications typically found in a data center facility. The objective of this plan is "to protect technology assets and employees and to safeguard vital records." IT is the custodian of information processing assets and must ensure the continued availability of essential services. The goal of this plan is to document the pre-agreed procedures for responding to a disaster involving a partial or total loss of the data center and its services.

Customer Responsibilities

Review existing plans for needed changes or missing requirements as outlined in the State "Information Security Policy, Procedures and Guidelines." Specific requirements are found in Chapter 8 of that document.

Submit a copy of the updated or new plan to OSF not later than Sept. 1. Plans may be submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF format. Printed copies are not acceptable, only an electronic format will suffice.

Customer Market

This service is available for all Oklahoma state agencies, offices, officers, bureaus, boards, commissions, counsels, units, divisions, bodies, authorities, or institutions of the executive, legislative, or judicial branches of state government. The term "state agencies" does include institutions within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education or the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Customer Benefits

• The NASCIO toolkit provides a basic understanding of the strategic importance and the tactical value of preparing and developing resiliency planning procedures.
• Each of the templates is designed to address the varying needs of state entities, depending on their size, business requirements and operational complexities
• Training to understand and complete the planning processes can be arranged

How Do We Charge?

There is no charge to download and use the templates or the NASCIO toolkit. Charges for training associated with this service area are tailored to the abilities and needs of each state entity requesting tailored support. After documenting your business requirements, our service team will provide you a proposal within a matter of a few days.