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Sat, Nov 3, 8:00 - 8:25, Ellwood 2 Paper (refereed)

Recommended Citation: Klein, K H and P A Joseph. Information Technology Disaster Planning: Lessons Learned from Katrina. In The Proceedings of the Information Systems Education Conference 2007, v 24 (Pittsburgh): §3122. ISSN: 1542-7382.

Information Technology Disaster Planning: Lessons Learned from Katrina

Refereed

6 pages

Kevin H. Klein    [a1] [a2]
Computer Science Department
Slippery Rock University    [u1] [u2]
Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, USA    [c1] [c2]

Patricia A. Joseph    [a1] [a2]
Computer Science Department
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania    [u1] [u2]
Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, USA    [c1] [c2]

Educated people are aware that disaster planning is a must in today’s computer dependent society. Nevertheless, when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United States in August of 2005, many businesses were surprised by the severity of this natural disaster. Disaster planning has been redefined by this major event and several lessons learned have enabled companies to be better prepared for future events. In today’s increasingly computer dependent society, it is not a question of if disaster will happen, it is a question of when. With regard to Hurricane Katrina, perhaps one of the greatest sources of economic hardship and loss came from the disruption to the businesses in the Gulf Coast region that were faced with damaged facilities, displaced employees, and business interruption. A surprising number of companies were not prepared for such a disruption and had not tested their total plan for disaster recovery. Why were businesses not more prepared to recover quickly and continue operating in the face of this disaster? Why did they not have plans in place to account for and protect employees and their families, keeping them safe and productive? This paper discusses basic principles of disaster planning that have been enhanced by lessons learned from Katrina, and offers solutions for the future.

Keywords: disaster planning, disaster recovery, information systems, information technology, security and assurance education

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