Selecting a Business Continuity Planning Tool Katina Blue Director of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

DO YOUR RESEARCH Use search engines on the Internet Obtain referrals from colleagues Request demos Test for a period of time; don’t be anxious (6 months) Research the experience of the company; age of company and tool

AUDITING THE TOOL Compare Functionality and Flexibility Proprietary software vs. non-Proprietary software Ease of use Compare strengths and weakness to other tools Avoid persuasion from other colleagues Is it buggy? Stability of database

COST FACTORS Based on license Enterprise discounts Inflation over years Maintenance license

INFRASTRUCTURE Type of platforms the system operates on Type of database; is it proprietary? What type of Technical Support does the vendor offer

APPLICATION ADMINISTRATION Requires a system administrator Local installs versus web based Frequency of patches and updates Require vendor technical support or in-house administration Mitigate risks if you can!

SECURITY Web based security infrastructure Personalization of screens Uses Login ID and Password Security module to restrict plan access