Training Session 2-APPENDIX J - Business Continuity Plan

APPENDIX J - Business Continuity Plan

Pdf Summary

The Oakleaf Group's Business Continuity Plan (BCP) ensures continuous operation of facilities and IT systems during significant business disruptions, defined as actual events or imminent threats that impact operations. The plan encompasses the entire organization's business continuity management scope and focuses on rapid recovery, safeguarding employees and assets, data protection, and financial and operational assessments.<br /><br />Key elements include data backup and recovery, critical application and system maintenance, alternate communication methods, alternate employee work locations, supplier continuity, and regular testing. Risk management is based on business impact analysis, with preventive actions to reduce risk likelihood and mitigate consequences, detailed in a Risk Treatment Plan. The plan specifies Maximum Acceptable Outage (MAO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) for essential services like email, remote desktop, internet, SharePoint, file systems, Salesforce, and data analytics.<br /><br />Critical systems such as Remote Desktop Servers, Domain Controllers, File Servers, and Firewalls have redundancy, backups, and short RTOs. Data backup strategies include daily and monthly backups stored offsite—using services like Dataprise, Google Nearline, and Backblaze—for file servers, SharePoint data, and local machines.<br /><br />Emergency response involves a designated team led by the COO or IT lead, with clear roles for incident assessment, decision-making, communications, and coordination with authorities. Building evacuation protocols and assembly points are outlined to ensure employee safety.<br /><br />Resource strategy includes mirrored off-site recovery locations at Chevy Chase and Bethesda, with staged equipment and predefined contacts. Vendor management involves ensuring suppliers like Dataprise and Salesforce maintain business continuity capabilities.<br /><br />Environmental disaster scenarios (e.g., power outages, internet loss, storms, fire, pandemics) are assessed by probability and impact, guiding preparedness. The plan mandates annual testing through simulated walkthroughs to verify plan accuracy, resource availability, and team readiness, with results reviewed by the COO for continuous improvement.<br /><br />The BCP is approved by senior leadership and version-controlled to keep it current and effective in safeguarding Oakleaf’s business operations against disruptions.

Keywords

Business Continuity Plan

Oakleaf Group

Risk Management

Data Backup and Recovery

Critical Systems Redundancy

Emergency Response Team

Disaster Recovery Locations

Supplier Continuity

Maximum Acceptable Outage

Annual Testing and Review