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Part 1: Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

1. Objective

This Business Continuity Plan (BCP) outlines strategies and procedures to mitigate risks and maintain essential functions during emergencies or unforeseen events.

Business continuity efforts are supervised by senior management for each key functional area within Timetabling Solutions and are supported by executive management.

2. Scope

This BCP applies to all operations for restoring critical business processes in the event that various resources are unavailable, including the loss of buildings, technology, human resources, third-party vendors, and vital records.

Our Data Breach Response Plan will deal with incidents regarding actual or potential data breaches, which have specific legal requirements.

3. Risk Assessment

Potential risks to information assets and business processes may include:

• Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, fire)

• Health-related (e.g., COVID-19)

• Cyberattacks

• Equipment failures

• Human errors or malicious activities

4. Business Continuity Strategies

a) Professional Services Continuity

• In-person Training: Trainers are scheduled with alternating weeks to avoid dependency on a single person. Venues must be capable of converting events online within 24 hours.

• Consultation Services: A senior consultant remains on standby for substitutions.

• Client Communication: Clients are informed of cancellation rights and refund policies; liability for travel/accommodation costs is disclaimed.

b) Work Anywhere Capability

• All staff have remote working capability with cloud-based systems, SIM-enabled laptops, and mobile-accessible phone systems.

5. Preservation Strategies

• Critical documents are securely stored online with access controls, MFA, encryption, and weekly audits.

• Infrastructure is monitored for vulnerabilities.

• Employees receive training on safeguarding assets.

6. Incident Response Coordination

• Classification:

  • Critical Incident – High Priority

  • Major Incident – Medium Priority

  • Minor Incident – Low Priority

• Incident Response Team:

  • Incident Manager: General Manager

  • Technical Lead: Director of Software

  • Communications Lead: Office Manager

7. Documentation, Testing, and Review

• All incidents documented in a 'Post Incident Review' list.

• Tabletop and simulation exercises are conducted.

• Annual plan review and updates are required.

8. Recovery Objectives (RTO and RPO)

To ensure effective disaster recovery, each system has defined Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO):

• RTO (Recovery Time Objective): Maximum acceptable time to restore service after a disruption.

• RPO (Recovery Point Objective): Maximum acceptable age of data that can be restored (i.e., how much data loss is tolerable).
  
  

Part 2: Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)

1. Objective

This DRP outlines the technical and procedural steps to recover critical IT systems, data, and services after a disruption.

2. Scope

This DRP covers all Timetabling Solutions' technology infrastructure, including:

• Cloud Applications

• CRM & Ticketing System

• Accounting Software

• Desktop Data Files

3. Backup Strategies

a) Cloud Applications

• 7 Days point-in-time restore

• 12-hour differential backup

• 4 Weeks long-term retention

b) CRM

• Daily backups at 5:00 PM Central Time

c) Desktop Data Files

• Files saved in OneDrive, synced with SharePoint for redundancy

4. Recovery Priorities and Procedures

Priority: HIGH

• Systems: Cloud Applications

• Response:

  • Immediate escalation to incident response team

  • Deploy failover mechanisms

  • Communicate updates via Freshstatus and other channels

  • Validate restoration and resume operations

Priority: MEDIUM

• Systems: CRM, Ticketing, Accounting

• Response:

  • Restore after high-priority systems are stable

  • Allocate resources based on impact

  • Stakeholder updates via Freshstatus and other channels

Priority: LOW

• Systems: Archived data, reports, legacy systems

• Response:

  • Restore once high/medium systems are operational

  • Apply workarounds if necessary

  • Internal updates via Microsoft Teams, email, or calls

5. Communication Protocol

• External updates are managed via:

  • Freshstatus page

  • Social media

  • Voicemail, email replies

• Internal updates coordinated via Teams and direct communication

6. Escalation and External Support

If internal response is insufficient, the Incident Manager may escalate to:

• External disaster recovery specialists

• Cloud service providers or vendors

7. DR Testing and Maintenance

• DR procedures will be tested via simulations or recovery drills at least annually.

• The DRP will be revised based on test outcomes and technology changes.