Business Continuity Plan
- Aaron Benz
Introduction
The purpose of this letter is to provide you with very important information about MF Genius, Corp d.b.a Degree Analytics Business Continuity Plan ("BCP") so that you are aware of what you need to do to in the event that our company experiences a significant business disruption ("SBD"). As a result of our ever-changing and evolving world, it has become necessary for companies in the educational services industry to take steps to ensure their preparedness to meet customer needs and resume regular business operations in a timely manner in the event of an SBD.
There are several types of SBDs varying in severity and scope that may occur on an internal or external level. An internal SBD, such as a fire in our building, would only affect the company's ability to conduct its normal business. An external SBD, such as an earthquake, regional power outage, or terrorist attack, would affect the operations of several companies.
Although Degree Analytics is not regulated as a financial institution, it has chosen to use FINRA guidelines to create its BCP. FINRA Rule 4370 requires members to establish emergency preparedness plans and procedures and requires each member to create and maintain a BCP and enumerates certain requirements that each plan must address. The Rule further requires members to update their BCPs upon any material change and, at a minimum, to conduct an annual review of their BCP.
Each member also must disclose to its customers how its BCP addresses the possibility of a future SBDs and how the member plans to respond to events of varying scope.
Company Policy
Our policy is to respond to an SBD in a manner that prioritizes the immediate safety of our employees, preservation of the company's property, and a quick recovery in order to meet the business needs of our clients.
Alternate Office Location
In the event that the main office becomes inoperable, the company will shift its operations to its designated back-up facility which is reasonably distant from the main office so as to reduce the chance that it will be affected by the same SBD, yet close enough to relocate to quickly if necessary. The default location is 701 Brazos Street #1626, Austin, TX 78701.
Back-up Books and Records
Degree Analytics maintains back-ups of its client files and other internal books and records at off-site facilities. Should an SBD cause our primary records to be inaccessible or destroyed, we have procedures in place to access the back-up files and implement them promptly in order to assure the least possible impact on our clients.
All pupil record data, and any other provided by the school is securely stored in a replicated cloud environment. Primarily, Amazon Web Services is used for all large client data, while contracts and other similar documents are stored using Google Drive.
Key Systems
The company has identified the possibility of a loss of functionality of the systems relied upon for its regular business operations in the event of an SBD. We have enumerated our key systems in our BCP, identified the individual(s) responsible for them, and developed procedures to switch to alternative systems should our primary systems be incapacitated.
Potential SBD Scenarios
In an effort to prepare for the variety of effects that different types of SBDs might have on Degree Analytics, we have outlined some SBD scenarios and the corresponding actions that the company will need to take in order to assure that the SBD has the least possible effect of the company and our clients. We are aware that the exact ramifications of any type of SBD cannot be predicted precisely and in the event of an SBD, we will take the time to assess the company's particular resulting situation and take the necessary steps as described in our BCP to handle the situation as effectively as is possible under the circumstances we encounter.
Internal SBD
In the event that a fire consumes Degree Analytics's main office destroying all hardware and files, after assuring the safety and well-being of our employees, the following actions will be taken:
Effect of SBD: Personal computers, servers, and data storage hardware are destroyed
Action to be taken: Acquire new computers, transport them to alternate location, and install the necessary software obtained from off-site storage facility. Contact network service provider if necessary to re-establish technological infrastructure and web services.
Effect of SBD: Books and records are destroyed
Action to be taken: Obtain back-up books and records from off-site facility and transport them for immediate use to the alternate location.
Effect of SBD: Office is destroyed
Action to be taken: Relocate to the alternate location and establish operations. Once business has resumed and is fully operational, start searching for a new main office location.
Effect of SBD: Telecommunications hardware is destroyed
Action to be taken: Contact service provider to transfer existing service to the alternate location, arrange for necessary hardware and software installations.
We estimate the resumption of business and communications channels within 1-3 days of the onset of this type of SBD.
External regional SBD
In the event that an earthquake or other natural disaster causes structural damage to our building and the buildings of some of our service providers, Degree Analytics. will make the following assessments and take the following steps:
Effect of SBD: Building is not structurally sound
Action to be taken: All vital equipment and files will be transported to the alternate location and business will resume promptly. If the equipment and files are damaged beyond use, new equipment (as necessary) shall be obtained and the company's back-up files shall be retrieved from its off-site storage facility(s).
Effect of SBD: Some of our vendors are experiencing service interruptions
Action to be taken: Contact vendors to determine when they anticipate being fully operational and make arrangements for the continuance of service, if possible, in the meantime.
Depending on the impact of this particular type of SBD on our third-party vendors, we estimate a range of 1-3 days for the company to be able to resume normal business operations.
Catastrophic SBD
In the event of an SBD on the level of a terrorist attack, major natural disaster, political crisis, or other event that is of a magnitude great enough to force the close of the markets but does not physically affect Degree Analytics, the company will take the following steps:
Effect of SBD: Education Institutions are closed (other than normal holidays)
Action to be taken: Communicate with clients to determine the effect of the SBD on the transaction in progress.
Effect of SBD: There is a possibility of further SBDs resulting from the primary SBD
Action to be taken: Test the company's procedures for handling an SBD that results in the company's relocation. Assure that back-up systems, hardware, and files are ready to be utilized and can be set up quickly if needed.
It is virtually impossible to predict a recovery time for this category of SBD due to the scope and the myriad of ramifications on the industry as a whole. We are confident that with the procedures we have in place we will be able to ensure the least possible impact on our clients as dictated by the circumstances.
Important Contact Information
Degree Analytics
1401 Lavaca St #755
Austin, TX 78701
Summary
At Degree Analytics we deeply value the relationships we have built with our clients and we strive to meet their changing needs in any business climate. It is not the intent of this document to assure our clients that there will be no impact on them whatsoever in the event that Degree Analytics is affected by an SBD. Rather, we wish to convey the fact that we have developed procedures for varying types of possible SBDs which will allow us to address the effects on our company on a variety of levels, manage those effects, and utilize our alternate arrangements in a manner that we expect will minimize client impact. In our procedures, we stress the importance of maintaining communications with our clients through as many media as possible so that we may continue to meet their needs and transact business in as smooth a fashion as is possible under whatever circumstances may have arisen.