“Emergency Management focuses on putting out the fire and fixing the damage,” said Business Continuity Coordinator, Derek Trabon. “Business Continuity looks at who was in the space that was affected and what critical functions need to continue.”
Critical functions are activities performed by certain units that must resume after the disruption. Business Continuity Coordinators surveyed different UT departments to figure out what they deemed to be their critical functions and what their recovery time may be. These critical functions can impact the University economically or damage its reputation if they are not quickly restored. From there, the program can identify the highest priority functions and develop a restoration plan that considers all the vital parts that make up the broader UT mission.
Most importantly, the Business Continuity program helps secure the aspirations and livelihoods of students, faculty, and staff. For example, if an emergency occurs that destroys the work of a research lab or a whole department, a well-established Business Continuity plan can help those people reorganize and salvage whatever was lost.
Trabon explained that many UT researchers have their whole life’s work in the laboratory with them and that this makes them vulnerable to losses. These researchers need to know what to do after their IT equipment is breached or after a natural disaster has caused damage to the lab.
“I have a chance to work with everyone on campus,” said Trabon, “A chance to understand what's important to them and what they need to plan for.”
The Business Continuity program seeks to recognize the limitations and needs of all faculty, staff, and other employees to help mitigate the negative effects of any crisis the University might face.
