Web Media Collective 186 University Hall 230 North Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43210-1319 Phone Fax 614-688-4373 614-292-8666
Digital Collection Disaster Prevention
Your digital collection will reside on a number of different computers and servers. The scope of your technical infrastructure will depend on a number of factors: collection size, collection budget, infrastructure resources available. This document is provided as a checklist. Have you taken steps to prevent interruptions to your digital collection service (i.e., your web site)? Do you have measures in place that will enable you to restore services with minimal data loss should something happen to your collection's technical infrastructure?
Prevention Recommendations
Locate servers in a secure server room with 24-hr. monitoring, sprinkler/foam system, climate controls (keep servers cool), adequate power (prevent electrical shorts), protection from building plumbing (pipes could burst). Rack mount servers to minimize theft and keep them off the floor (flooding). Minimize the number of individuals with access to the room. Install secure server "remote control" software/services so systems administrators can manage the servers without having to be in the server room. Ensure your servers are protected behind a firewall. Close all ports that aren't used. Monitor logs for hack attempts. Establish service agreements with hardware vendors. Solid relationships with them will help in times of emergency. Be aware of your organization's insurance policies; set up an emergency fund/budget. Back up your data and store a copy off-site. If the server room is damaged and your backup tapes are in the same room, the backup tapes will probably be damaged as well. Have a backup of all your software -- you will need this to set up a new server. Have a staging server and a production server, and, ideally, a test server, too. Lock up your software to minimize the risk of theft. Use check in/check out to document where the software is at any given time. Make a backup copy of your installation software and store it off site (including downloaded software). Make sure to register your software and keep purchase and licensing documentation. Keep server software patched and up-to-date. New security holes appear daily.
Think through the potential causes of service interruption on the following page. Determine the greatest risks for each area and steps that will need to be taken to minimize those risks.
Fire, Flood, Electrical Problems, Natural Disasters
Potential Scope: the entire campus, an entire building, a portion of the building, just your area Examples: electrical shorts, power surges, power outages, pipes bursting, roofs leaking, building storm damage.
Hardware, Software Theft
Potential Scope: server hardware/software, scanning hardware/software, employee theft, theft from strangers, items that just 'go missing' Examples: servers stolen from unlocked rooms, keys given out to too many people, software goes missing, peripherals stolen in backpacks
Virus attack, Hack attack
Potential Scope: entire campus network, unit network, single server, shared workstations, individuals' workstations Examples: hacker parks pirated DVD content on your server, hacker takes over a workstation, uses it to launch an attack elsewhere, users download sypware or viruses unknowingly that damage workstations
Accidental deletion
Potential Scope: entire server, database records, image files Examples: inexperienced employee accidentally deletes 1,000 image files, new web developer wipes out changes another developer made to the interface last week.
Lack of budget
Potential Scope: entire operation Examples: run out of funding before servers can be upgraded, scope expands without resources expanding as well.
Temporary power/firewall outage
Potential Scope: web site/servers Examples: no UPS so servers take longer to come back up when power is restored
Hardware or Software Failure
Potential Scope: web sites/servers Examples: no service contracts so scrambling to find support/parts if something fails
Employee out of office
Potential Scope: any part of your operation Examples: key employees out of town at conference, something breaks while they're away and those left don't know how to fix potential problems