Glossary

A structured cascade process (system) that enables a list of persons, roles and / or organisation to be contacted as part of an information or plan invocation procedure
See: Contact List, Cascade System, And Reverse Cascade System. (BCI)

A document that graphically depicts the calling responsibilities and the calling order used to contact management, employees, customers, vendors and other key contacts in the event of an emergency, disaster or severe outage situation. (DRII)

A test designed to validate the currency of contact lists and the processes by which they are maintained. (BCI)

A method used to exercise a completed disaster recovery plan. This type of exercise is used to determine if the information such as phone numbers, manuals, equipment, etc. in the plan is accurate and current. (DRII)

A site (data centre / work area ) equipped with appropriate environmental conditioning, electrical connectivity, communication access, configurable space and access to accommodate the installation and operation of equipment by key employees required to resume business operations.
See: Alternate Site. (BCI)

An alternate facility that already has in place the environmental infrastructure required to recover the critical business functions or information systems, but does not have any pre-installed computer hardware, telecommunication equipment, communication lines, etc. These must be provisioned at time of disaster.
SIMILAR TERMS: Shell Site; Backup Site; Recovery Site; Alternate Site. (DRII)
 

The facility used by a Crisis Management Team after the first phase of a Business Continuity E/I/C. An organisation must have a primary and secondary location for a command centre in the event of one being unavailable. It may also serve as a reporting point for deliveries, services, press and all external contacts.
See: Emergency Control Centre (ECC): Emergency Operations Centre (EOC): Command and Control. (BCI)

Facility separate from the main facility and equipped with adequate communications equipment from which initial recovery efforts are manned and media business communications are maintained. The management team uses this facility temporarily to begin coordinating the recovery process and its use continues until the alternate sites are functional. (DRII)

A Crisis Management Process:

• Command means the authority for an organisation or part of an organisation to direct the actions of is own resources (both personnel equipment).
   
• Control means the authority to direct strategies, tactical and operational operations in order to complete an assigned function and includes the ability to direct the activities of others engaged in the completion of that function i.e. the crisis as a whole or a function within the crisis management process. The control of an assigned function also carries with it the responsibility for the health and safety of those involved.
   
• Co-ordination means the harmonious integration of the expertise of all the agencies /roles involved with the objective of effectively and efficiently bringing the crisis to a successful conclusion.

See: Level 1 control: Strategic Control: Gold Control: Tactical Control: Level 2 Control: Silver Control: Level 3 Control: Operational Control: Bronze Control. (BCI)
 

A list of team members and/or key players to be contacted including their backups. The list will include the necessary contact information (i.e. home phone, pager, cell, etc.) and in most cases be considered confidential. (DRII)

A plan used by an organisation or business unit to respond to a specific systems failure or disruption of operations. A contingency plan may use any number of resources including workaround procedures, an alternative work area, reciprocal agreement, or replacement agreement. (DRII)

A strategy for providing alternate processing capability in a disaster, via contractual arrangements with an equipment supplier, to ship replacement hardware within a specified time period.
SIMILAR TERMS: Guaranteed Replacement, Drop Ship, Quick Ship. (DRII)

A critical event, which if not handled in an appropriate manner may dramatically impact an organisation’s profitability, reputation or ability to operate. (DRII)

An occurrence and/or perception that threatens the operations, staff, shareholder value, stakeholders, brand, reputation, trust and/or strategic/business goals of an organization. (BCI)

Any global, regional, or local natural or human-caused event or business interruption that runs the risk of (1) escalating in intensity, (2) adversely impacting shareholder value or the organization’s financial position, (3) causing harm to people or damage to property or the environment, (4) falling under close media or government scrutiny, (5) interfering with normal operations and wasting significant management time and/or financial resources, (6) adversely affecting employee morale, or (7) jeopardizing the organization’s reputation, products, or officers, and therefore negatively impacting its future. (ASIS)