Creation and maintenance of an information management disaster plan is a never-ending task. While it can be cumbersome, hard to obtain buy-in, and require an upfront cost, it is one of the most important documents that your office can create. Protecting your information is protecting your assets. You will be able to continue operations and meet objectives with less risk of serious disruption if you ensure that you have continuous access to your information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article will promote critical thinking and provide some guidance for developing your office’s information management disaster plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When reviewing this article and establishing your plan, keep in mind the impact of losing information is not always immediately apparent. Think of it like the domino effect. Lack of preparation may lead to permanent information loss, and permanent information loss leads to more time and expense when rebuilding<\/span>. So, prepare with a short-term and long-term impact in mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Where are your government\u2019s offices geographically located?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Research which natural disasters the geographical location is prone to experiencing. Natural disasters are things like flooding, hurricanes, winter storms, strong winds, etc. Identifying the natural disasters will help to determine what emergency prevention and resources are required. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maintains the National Risk Index<\/a> that helps identify the most applicable natural disasters to a geographical location. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also research the impact of the information’s proximity to potential man-made hazards, for example the airport, military bases, plants or factories that handle hazardous or flammable material. Also, assess infrastructure that if faulty would cause lose of information. For e.g. If crossing a bridge is the only entry to the site, analyze how your government will access the information if that bridge were to collapse. Perform an inspection of any building that houses your government information. Check for mold, mildew, fire hazards, etc. You will not be able to predict all of the non-natural disasters that surround the location, but this will help you perform a thorough evaluation you can use to better target your plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What formats are the records in? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Is the information stored on a printed physical record, electronically, on a CD, microfilm? Each type of format is associated with a preparedness benefit and disaster risk. For e.g. Information on paper is secure based on papers longevity. Paper records lasts hundreds of years, if not thousands. However, paper records must be protected from water damage, sunlight, and on-site storage security risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On TSLAC’s website, we publish various security, storage, and preservation standards<\/a> based on record format. These standards are implemented to mitigate the common disasters to which each format is prone. Review the applicable format laws, rules, and best practices for your government’s information when constructing the disaster plan. Contact your TSLAC analyst<\/a> if you need further guidance or clarification. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you have a plan for your confidential and vital\/essential records?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Both state agencies and local governments are required to identify vital\/essential records and implement strategies and procedures that will protect these types of records during a disaster. For state agencies, State Records Management Law, Section 441.183<\/a> requires state agencies to “identify and take adequate steps to protect confidential and vital state records.” For local governments, the Local Government Records Act, Section 203.021<\/a> requires local governments \u201cto facilitate the identification and protection of essential local government record.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both vital<\/a> and essential<\/a> records are defined as any government \u201crecord necessary to the resumption or continuation of government operations in an emergency or disaster, to the re-creation of the legal and financial status of the government, or to the protection and fulfillment of obligations to the people of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help assess what constitutes \u201cvital\u201d and \u201cessential\u201d records, consider what information is absolutely critical and sensitive to your office\u2019s financial, legal, and administrative responsibilities. Does your office create and\/or maintain any of the following information?<\/p>\n\n\n\n To further help determine what information constitutes essential and vital, we have included some slides from our Introduction to Records Management training session. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat types of information is your government creating? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n