Disaster Recovery Planning - getting SIMS data in very early stages

[crc-ict]

Hello,

 

We are looking at our Disaster Recovery planning here, and one of the things have been thinking about is how we would deal with access to SIMS data in the first 24-48 hours of a major disaster. We are thinking of nightmare scenarios like happened at Selsey Academy back in summer - complete devastation of the site, destruction of server room and all IT etc.

 

It has been raised that we would need access to the SIMS data for contact details of both staff and students. We have a robust offline backup regime, but that SQL backup sitting in a data centre in Reading isn't going to be much use to us until we can get a server up and running, SIMS installed and the backup restored. For example, to serve the immediate need for access to contact info to notify parents and staff of the issue, and the uncomfortable thought of needing next of kin info etc if people are involved in the disaster.

 

Does anyone else have plans in their DR strategy for access to the data from SIMS before the actual recovery and restoration process begins? In some of those nightmare scenarios, the hours involved in sourcing a server, getting the data (either by download or physically going to get it) and restoring it may be too long to wait.

 

Just wondering what other people do?

 

Thanks

[smarties11]

You raise a good point! If this was me considering this (and I am now and will amend things here - thanks) I think the way to tackle it is to identify the data required and have that exported to an (encrypted!) excel file stored offsite.

 

So, for your example above, you could run a SIMS report at the end of every week / month - drop it into Excel - and then save elsewhere.

 

This is always going to be much faster than firing up a SIMS box, and would deal with the immediate need whilst you are busy with everything else.

[ITBadger]

Virtue Technologies presented a solution at the recent ANME meeting which looked impressive. There are further details here.

[fiza]

Hosted SIMS? You could access from anywhere then.

[ITBadger]

Or here.

[Linfit]

Our solution to this is to have a "shadow" SIMS server.

 

We have a high spec laptop set up as a SIMS server with an encrypted hard drive.

 

It has a full install of server and client for SIMS and FMS. It gets updates automatically from SOLUS like all the other SIMS devices.

We have a script which runs each night as part of our normal backup routine which stops the sims databases and backs them up.

In the morning, I come in, plug the laptop into mains power and a spare network socket reserved for it next to my desk. It runs a scheduled task which copies the backups from where they are stored on the server and then Dbattaches them to the SQL instance on the laptop. At lunchtime, I pack the laptop up. It goes home with me every day. We have three copies of the USB decryption key, one to use at work, one I keep at home, and 1 in the safe.

 

If the building burnt down I would have a complete working SIMS server with data on it which was never more than 24 hours old.

 

I keep a simple 8 port switch and some cables at home as well, with a power inverter and some other stuff in an emergency bag. I reckon we could set up three or four staff laptops as SIMS clients running off our laptop server in our car park the day after the building burnt down. We have actually rehearsed this using one of the minibuses as an "office".

 

Our local SIMS support unit helped us set this up several years ago and we have used this method ever since. We obviously also keep local backup as well - this is just a last ditch option.

[crc-ict]

Thanks all, some great suggestions and some real food for thought.

 

Keep them coming!