Note that this framework also includes support for Expert Network and Learning Management applications to also increase school employees, teachers, and students' productivity as well.
Figure 1: Electronic Education Record Systems Hierarchy
Source: Murphy and Columbus (2002)
School it Continuity Plan
What is most critical is that the core business processes are not interrupted within the school, and that is the primary objective of the it Continuity Plan. These include the daily collaboration of employees, teachers, administrators, parents, teachers, service organizations and school district offices. The software platforms and applications relied on to support these processes include collaboration tools including e-mail, the website, the intranet portal and content management system, school supplier management and school procurement. To ensure these processes are not interrupted the systems and databases that contain these records need to be first replicated and then moved to an interim hosting center. It is imperative that the school and the broader district also define a strong set of conditions in its Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with the hosting provider in the event there is a major disruption in service. Continuity is best achieved by also focusing on the following characteristics for a hosting location, which assures disaster recovery. The school needs to make each of the attributes below essential in the definition of their continuity and disaster recovery plan:
Appropriately sized uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to provide short-term backup power to all system components (including environmental and safety controls) and frequent backups
Gasoline- or diesel-powered generators to provide long-term backup power
Air-conditioning systems with adequate excess capacity to permit failure of certain components, such as a compressor
Fire suppression systems
Fire and smoke detectors
Water sensors in the computer room ceiling and floor
Plastic tarps that may be unrolled over it equipment to protect it from water damage
To accomplish this without disrupting existing performance of the schools' Intranet portal and content management systems, the processes that are most commonly completed in the school must first be understood and mapped, and then translated into the content needs the Intranet will fulfil. Second, a framework for ensuring the security of the student records needs to be defined and managed as part of the enterprise content management (ECM) system first, followed by initiating off-site storage of records and the development of an it Continuity Plan. The use of hosting services is an excellent alternative, as it provides the school with the opportunity to selectively back up and keep secure records no longer needed in the office, and given the growth of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) there is also the potential to have a very cost effective fall-back strategy in place in the event any disruption in service occurs.
Sources:
Klein, Russ (2006) -. Achieving Collaboration Excellence: Content Management, Data Integration and the Enterprise Portal. Aberdeen Group Research Report. Aberdeen Group. August, 2006
Murphy, Jim and Columbus, Louis. Re-Orienting Your Content and Knowledge Management Strategies. AMR Research. Report. October 31, 2002. Boston, MA. Downloaded from the Internet on February 9, 2007 at http://www.lwcresearch.com/filesfordownloads/ReorientingYourContentandKnowledgeMgmtStrategy.pdf
Olsen, Florence. The Power of Portals. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Page A32. Downloaded from the Internet on February 9, 2007:
http://www.buffalo.edu/aboutmyub/pdf/48a03201.pdf
