Planning for the worst

In recent years, it seems that planet Earth has been trying to get its own back on us.
The Asian tsunami, the 2004 submerging of the Cayman Islands, one of the world’s biggest off-shore banking centres, and the destruction of New Orleans will have tested the disaster recovery plans of many thousands of organisations, if they had such plan, that is.

It is easy to sit with smug complacency in a comfortable office in London, New York, Kuala Lumpur or wherever and to think that such disasters will never strike you. But it is not just the major catastrophes that can test an organisation to the limit.

What would happen if builders in the next building cut the power lines, a gas pipe or burst a water main? What would happen if the RAID-5 standard server should fail?

Given the widespread reliance on computers even in small companies, the need to plan for disaster has become an imperative. In the ‘old days’, when an organisation had a head office and regional offices, a disaster would not be so far-reaching. But today, a single computer centre can effectively run an entire organisation on a continental or global basis.

It is not just major organisations that need to have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. Even EI publisher Ark Group, an organisation of some 100 people, has a comprehensive recovery plan covering each and every element of its business. And when journalists – who are notoriously disorganised people – get their act together that means the time for action is long overdue.

Handing over
On another note, having worked on EI in various capacities for the past couple of years, this will be my last issue. But rest assured that the magazine is in very safe hands indeed. Graeme Burton will continue in his capacity as managing editor and he will be joined at the helm by Jessica Twentyman.

Most of you will be familiar with Jessica, having read some of the many features that she has contributed to EI. She brings a wealth of experience to the role, having worked as a journalist and editor in the industry for more than ten years.

Regardless of who is editor, the heart of EI remains your experience, especially case studies and other articles written by you. Please send any ideas you have. Or, if you have completed a project that you’re particularly proud of, then EI would love to hear from you. Get in touch with Jessica at jtwentyman@ark-group.com

Kate Clifton
Deputy editor

Features

Workshop: Technology and change Free
It is a fact of life that people are uncomfortable with change. Doing things differently is perceived as risky and, often, unnecessary. While the need to stay safe and warm inside your own personal comfort zone is understandable, it is simply no longer an option in the 21st century public sector. Change is here, it’s here to stay and unless you are prepared to take a lead and control the change, then it will be something that happens to you – and not for you.

Workshop: The intranet post-mortem Free
An old adage tells us that all good things must come to an end. While we do our best to maximise our investment in the software we use, it too has a lifecycle. It is only a matter of how long it lives and whether anything productive comes out of its use while it is ‘alive’.

Workshop: The perfect portal Free
In last month’s workshop, we looked at the integration of content management and collaboration tools with the portal. To finish off step seven, I would like to look at one of the most difficult challenges in the portal implementation journey: integrating applications and business processes.

Case study: BT Global Services Free
BT Global Services (BTGS) recently integrated several disparate websites onto a consolidated internet and intranet platform. To support this integration, as well as to manage its online content and website contributors worldwide, BTGS has also invested time and resources in a centralised content-management system (CMS).

Cover feature: When disaster strikes Free
In recent years, it seems, natural disasters – such as Hurricane Katrina and the South-East Asian tsunami – have become bigger and more devastating, wiping out not just homes, crops and countryside, but also, in many cases companies and other organisations operating in the most severely hit areas.

Regulars

The last word: Social search Free
Search engines are often as much a curse as a blessing these days, particularly in the minds of those who have experienced fruitless or unsatisfactory search results. Step right up and take your chances. If you’re lucky, your result will be on the first three or four pages. If not, you can always use your psychic abilities to try and predict what those who have labelled the site or document have actually called it. Until now.

Trend tracker: Open source content management Free
According to Ian Dolphin, head of e-strategy at the University of Hull, the market for packaged content-management software is “seriously immature”. It is, he says, awash with costly products that are complex to implement and which frequently fail to address the demands of many vertical industries, including the higher education sector.