DUSTING OFF YOUR CREDIT UNION PANDEMIC PLAN

Transcription

1 Moving production and disaster recovery securely into the cloud. DUSTING OFF YOUR CREDIT UNION PANDEMIC PLAN

2 HISTORY Ongoing Operations was formed in 2005 by a group of credit unions in the Washington, DC metropolitan area looking for better business continuity solutions. The CUSO has grown from serving a handful of local organizations to over 300 clients nationwide. As disaster recovery and business continuity have evolved, so have our solutions. Over the years, we have developed a complete range of solutions including: a hands-on professional services team to conduct the initial business impact analysis (BIA) and ongoing plan development, the web-based CU Recover platform, the latest in offsite data backup & recovery solutions, connectivity to critical third parties, data center space, and dedicated workspace. In 2010, we acquired Teneros, a leading provider of Exchange replication solutions. And in 2011, we acquired Cloudworks, an experienced cloud solutions provider. The Ongoing Operations Cloudworks solutions feature built-in backup and fully redundant infrastructure. They also allow credit unions to reduce their total cost of ownership (TCO) by leveraging the CUSO s world-class data centers for their combined backup and production needs Showalter Road, Suite 101 Hagerstown, MD info@ongoingoperations.com

3 WHAT YOU LL LEARN TODAY Key challenges between this and the avian flu type pandemic scenario Practical steps to update your Pandemic Plan Be Prepared, Not Scared

4 KEY CHALLENGE FEAR AND MISINFORMATION During the pandemic exercises with the Avian Flu, there was medicine that was already available to help (Tamiflu) Ebola has no guaranteed medical course The lack of information creates fear and sometimes overreaction Your role is to create a plan that mitigates based on facts not emotions

5 GETTING OUT THE DUST PAN Not the first time around the block we ve learned plenty Pandemic Plans were originally based on the spread of Avian Flu not Ebola or some other highly contagious disease. The good news however is that many of your strategies will remain viable and simply need updating to reflect the current threat.

6 3 MAJOR AREAS TO FOCUS ON 1. Pandemic/Health Crisis Planning is different than regular disasters In a health threat scenario, you DO NOT want to gather people together due to the threat of spreading contagions Planning for an Ebola outbreak intensifies this need. Credit union s will need to act quickly to assess their risk (exposure due to employee travel or member contact) Determine action steps appropriate to that risk level quarantine, mandatory reporting/self identification?

7 3 MAJOR AREAS TO FOCUS ON 2. Have a source of authority Should the Ebola situation continue to evolve here in the USA, the news stations will pummel us with the latest statistics, opinions and recommended actions. Who do you rely on for accurate information? Consider monitoring sites like the CDC and WHO (World Health Organization) for specific health updates. Monitor the NCUA and FFIEC sites as well for specific credit union guidance. Get to know your local emergency management team

8 3 MAJOR AREAS TO FOCUS ON 3. Know your staff and members Do you know the travel status of your employees? While the probability is low, it could be that you have an employee or relative who has traveled in the breakout zones. What type of procedures do you have in place to gather this information?

9 3 MAJOR AREAS TO FOCUS ON 3. Know your staff and members Do you know the travel status of your employees? While the probability is low, it could be that you have an employee or relative who has traveled in the breakout zones. What type of procedures do you have in place to gather this information? Will you require mandatory quarantine of employees who have traveled? Will you pay them during that time?

10 ACTION STEPS AND OBSERVATIONS Communicate awareness and preparedness Have zero tolerance policy for coming to work sick Realize that if you ve identified essential employees, the chances are, they won t show up in an Ebola outbreak. Family comes first. How will your credit union adjust? Get your WAH (work at home) strategies in place and tested NOW

11 ACTION STEPS AND OBSERVATIONS Prepare your risk communications messages NOW for internal staff and public concerning your credit unions strategies/plans Sign up for CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) and visit CDC website for awareness/alerts In an Ebola situation, just sanitizing services isn t appropriate, authorities would decontaminate

12 ACTION STEPS AND OBSERVATIONS Update your social distancing strategy Escalate your flu plans (anti-septics, wipes) Update HR policies (PTO,,sick leave, family leave) Practice your WAH strategies NOW Define trigger points for activating CMT when do you begin internal escalations?

13 STEPS TO REDUCE EMPLOYEE FEAR Communicate and Educate TALK about fears Direct employees to your source of authority (CDC/WHO) Expect high absenteeism if situation were to worsen. Could your credit union survive a 21 day quarantine period? (alternate channels/partners)

14 MY TAKE Ebola requirements: same Pandemic BCP, but with new threat Risk-based approach Document how your plan meets current requirements Amend with new data/guidance

15 THANK YOU Visit our extensive ebook library for more BCP data! Copyright 2012 Ongoing Operations, LLC.