Alcan disaster recovery plan case study examples

Introduction

The field of information technology has alt of dynamism. The dynamism run from the various technological changes that come with the evolution of computers o the daily changes that are brought by new inventions, from the challenges that are related to data security to challenges of costs of maintain the computerized programs. The list may even be longer when all the challenges have been highlighted. However, one is thing is common in all these challenges, the need to bring out the IT department as an independent organ in the company; and to maintain professionalism in the information technology department ( Dube, Bernier, & Roy, 2009).

The challenges related to natural calamities are very hard to deal with. This is because they are not easily controllable by human nature while others are not controllable at all. Such was the case for Rio Alcan Company when an earthquake stuck its operations. This paralyzed not only their operation but also the fall of the entire it systems. Some of the operations in the information technology department are dependant on the weather conditions. This is because; most of the transmissions are enhanced through airwaves (Dube, Bernier, & Roy, 2009). Even the transmissions that are done though cabled network are also dependant of the strength of the network provider that supplies the cable with the capability to transmit.

In the reconstruction of the information technology system; or simply IT system, of Rio Alcan Company, there are several factors that must be considered. One of the factors is the various shortcomings of the old system. Before the strike of the earthquake, Rio Alcan Company had IT systems (Dube, Bernier, & Roy, 2009). The systems were not strong enough to withstand t5he strength of the earthquake and thus they bear part of the blame for the collapse of the system and the damage that incurred during and after the earthquake.

The other factor to consider in the rebuilding of the systems is the recurrence of such earthquakes and the foreseen natural calamities. The information system analyst should consider the warnings that given by the meteorological departments and other bodies that specify are giving information about acts of God (Dube, Bernier, & Roy, 2009). Rebuilding of the systems would be meaningless where the events that cause it to break down analyses to ensure that in an event they reoccur, they would not lead to as much loss as they did, and where possible any loss avoided. Other natural calamities foreseen are heavy rains, icefall, and strong winds.

Apart from the above, the analysts should also focus on other shortcomings of the former systems that unrelated to the effects of the earthquake. The management should recognize that every system have its own shortcomings. The records that may have recommended improvements in the It systems should be revisited to ensure that apart from building of systems that can be able to withstand the effects of natural calamities, the systems will also be able to be utilized maximally and effectively. As noted in the case, the IT operations in the company had been decentralized (Dube, Bernier, & Roy, 2009). This meant that, the management could not be able to send information to remote systems and regulation of the system was hard. This lead to high maintenance costs as well as redundancy in the operations. Supervision could be complicated by the same factor. The other area that needed improvement in the system is operation by professionals. Most of the persons who worked in the IT sections not specially trained in the areas and thus this was risky and could lead to delays in production and consultations that were uncalled for.

The rebuilding of the systems includes creation of an emergency plan. This is a plan that ensures that where an emergency occurs; there is a plan that ensures that only minimum loss is incurred. Before such a plan’s implementation, there should be an emergency plan rehearsal. Emergency plan rehearsal is a pilot program that exposes the emergency plan to all the possible emergencies with an aim of ensuring that where such events are experienced, the plan is applicable and effective (Dube, Bernier, & Roy, 2009). The emergency plan rehearsal is advantageous in different ways; one, the rehearsal is not a final product and thus the analysts expect all the criticism and accept positively. Where the analysts receive criticism on a running system, the persons giving the report usually see it as a failed project as opposed to report given during rehearsal. In addition, the rehearsal ensures that the management is sure about the application of the plan before the implementation (Cragg, 2005). Thus, all the amendments can be done and all the needed additions done early enough. The other importance of a rehearsal is that it also prepares the IT staff on the functionality of the plan even before induction into its usage.

The Organization and Forthcoming IT Improvements

Rio Alcan Company expects to come up with improved systems in many areas. These improvements shall to bring a new face in its information technology department as well as being well prepared for occurrences such as the one the hand experienced. The new systems shall be more enlightened in that even the staff who will be dealing with the system will be specialists. This is going to improve the efficiency. Moreover, the new IT systems are supposed to be centralized thus enabling the It chief to control the whole system from one server also reduce the level of redundancy and sabotage. The systems will also be free from data insecurity (The Emergency Management Division, 2002).

Political Forces Influencing IT Improvements

Creation of systems that can be able to withstand natural calamities in many cases requires installation of wide area network. This implies that the government departments that is involved in communication will be involved either directly or indirectly. Directly where the company installs its own network and indirectly where the company seeks the help of other service providers’ for the network. In addition, the requirement by the government for all companies to register their programs ensures that the company must involve the government in its installation and thus there will be no illegal transmissions (Day, 2002).

Discuss political barriers and solutions affecting the project.

Some of the political barriers that Rio Alcan will experience in the implementation of the new systems are the involvement of political leaders in service providers and thus making the process of procurement of internet services more favorable to some companies (Cragg, 2005). This may lead to the company procuring the services from less qualified persons.

Change Management Plan

As noted in the former sections of the paper, the management of IT department will see some of the staff lay off and in turn, specialized personnel procured of the company sponsoring the staff for specialized classes. In addition, the company has acquired a new IT chief who is to oversee the department.

Conclusions

As note in the introduction, some of the dynamisms that are experienced in IT are only relevant to specific cases.  In this cases, the effects of the earthquake have lead to the overhaul of the It systems and department in Rio Alcan. The changes however are worthy as on top of making the company safe from natural calamities, the systems are string and more dependable. The relationship between the different organs of the company is now tighter and supervision is less costly. Implementation of the system will lead to visible advantages as highlighted in the paper.

References

Cragg, W., (2005). Ethics Codes, Corporations, and the Challenge of Globalization.
Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing
Dube, L., Bernier, C., & Roy, V. (2009). Taking on the challenge of IT management in a global
business context: The Alcan case – Part A. International Journal of Case Studies in Management.
Dube, L., Bernier, C., & Roy, V. (2009). Taking on the challenge of IT management in a global
business context: The Alcan case – Part B. International Journal of Case Studies in Management.
Day, C., (2002). The multinational enterprise and legal control. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff
Publishers
The Emergency Management Division (2002). Justice Institute of BC Introduction to emergency
management in British Columbia. British Columbia: author