Kuali Ready Admin Newsletter - August 2018

Welcome to the Kuali Ready Admin Newsletter. This newsletter will keep you informed of product updates, continuity best practices, and community news and events.

Community News

As our community continues to grow, Kuali and the Ready team would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest Ready users:

• University of Pittsburgh
• University of North Dakota
• Medical University of South Carolina
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Wisconsin Whitewater

Business Continuity Tip(s) of the Month

Hurricane Preparedness

We’re full swing into hurricane season, and September is historically the busiest month. While you generally have more time to plan for a hurricane once you determine your university is in the line of landfall, there are steps you can take proactively to mitigate the impact.  

If your school falls within the hurricane map (see below) or is in an area that may experience severe flooding, these precautionary activities should be considered, and completed, for you to be ready. (Note: these activities should be a coordinated effort of multiple departments, i.e., business continuity and/or emergency management, facilities, security, HR, Legal, etc.)  

• Review property insurance with your insurance agent to discuss adequate hazard, flood, and business interruption insurance.
• Establish written hurricane procedures for protecting employees and students (plan what to do and where to go in case of evacuation).
• Establish written procedures for protecting business property and its contents.
• If yours is a research university, ensure all planning addresses care for the lab animals, and protection of research specimens.
• Specify a timeline for when the hurricane procedures will be implemented, and train employees on the procedures.
• Determine what emergency equipment and supplies are necessary (heavy plastic sheeting, duct tape, masking tape, sandbags, emergency generator with a gas supply, storm shutters, chain saw, plywood, and hand tools).
• Designate an individual (or team) with an alternate who will coordinate the implementation of the hurricane procedures.
• Establish an employee alert roster, which will be used to notify employees that your hurricane plan has been activated. The alert roster will also be used to check on the status of employees during and after the hurricane.
• Establish plans for protecting computers, files, and documents (make multiple backup files and store data in alternate, safe locations).
• If necessary, develop a system for identification of employees (emergency vests with university name and logo, ID cards, vehicle permits, or badges).
• Establish an emergency communication line to be used by employees, students, and their families to obtain status reports and information pertaining to available assistance.
• Stock a portable radio and flashlights with extra batteries.

 If the impact is imminent:

• Stay tuned to the local weather channel for updates on hurricane movement and severity.
• Ensure vehicles are full of gas.
• If time permits, move furniture and essential items to a higher elevation.
• If asked to evacuate, shut off main power switch, main gas valve, and water valve.
• Follow local evacuation plan and routes.

When preparing for the hurricane season, don't forget to also prepare your family. Find a hurricane checklist here: Family Hurricane Preparedness Checklist. 

Building Your Business Continuity Plans

We’re often asked what the most efficient way is to create a set of plans with so many competing priorities. We’ve outlined some pointers below that will help you get started.

• Begin with 10 to 15 of your most critical departments. This is generally determined by the Business Impact Analysis (BIA), but if you haven’t completed a BIA yet, don’t worry, as you’re beginning this process you can always estimate which departments are most critical. For example, emergency management and/or business continuity, enrollment, financial aid, research, and human resources are all critical to the university’s success.

What are your university’s most critical departments?

Send a note to: [e-mail] with your thoughts.  

• Work with the plan owners, ideally in small groups of 5 to 10, to walk through the plan creation steps and complete multiple plans quickly. This is an ideal time to provide some BCP 101 education, and to promote the importance of emergency preparedness.
• Allow up to three months for final touches on the plans and for information that may need to be retrieved from other resources.
• Review the plans with the plan owners to ensure they are complete and all pertinent information has been captured.
• Conduct a tabletop exercise, again with a small group of plan owners, to identify and resolve any gaps, while also training on what to do during an emergency.
• Move on to the next most critical departments by repeating the above steps.

Be sure to review and update the plans at least once per year or following any major department or university changes.

HOW HAVE YOU SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED READY AT YOUR UNIVERSITY? SHARE YOUR STORY HERE: Kuali Ready Community

Product Updates

You can now add the Recovery Time Objective (RTO) to your Central Applications and Department Applications that are listed in your plans (shown here in the Central Application tab).

 

The question ‘How quickly will you need this application recovered?” has a drop-down list of time frames from which to choose. This information will allow you to identify your most critical applications. Remember that the time entered should reflect the RTO for an emergency and not normal day-to-day operations. For example, a department may use an application everyday during normal operations, but during an emergency the department may be able to manage without the application for two or more days, or even longer, using workarounds such as a manual process.

Upcoming Events

Active Shooter, Building Fire, Tornado Response Exercise - September 5^th, 2018.

 Thank you for your continuing support of Kuali Ready and for being a member of our wonderful community.

Terri Eikenbary

Ready Product Manager