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Disaster Recovery

We are in the process of revising our Disaster Recovery plan for our department and I am in need of assistance with regard to the mortgage system. Specifically, I am looking for any information you can provide me regarding how to operate our system (both Mortgage Banker and Loan Servicing) in the event of a disaster that prevents us from completing our normal business. I would like to know if you have plans developed (or would assist me in developing plans) for running the system on:

Problem
Solution
Limited power, brown outs (or no power). Battery backup or power generator.
Loss of access to the building (how to operate at a remote location, if necessary). If you have an off-site backup, it could be restored onto an off-site system and configured to run. Recommended off-site system already set up and periodic (monthly or weekly) backup is restored onto system each month or week. This will verify that the backup is good and you have an off-site system that is functional. There are licensing issues that you would need to work out in this configuration.
Restoring data from backup. This would be good to test as listed in question 2 above by loading onto a second system to verify the backup is good. If it is a compatible tape to our drives here, we can arrange a test load of your backup (this will be billable at the standard MC rate).
Using a laptop or other hardware as our CPU. (For example, would we need to rent a separate CPU or could we make accommodations to run a minimal system on something else?) If the system has the correct operating system and available disk space, also compatible media to load backup, you would need to move the security plug from the parallel port and configure as a single user. This would be a temporary recovery option.
Ability of MC (and how to do this) to dial into our system to help us through a disaster. Workstation with Internet access. WebEx is used to assist or pcAnywhere with access for MC to dial in and log in to your workstation.
Support from laser forms vendor (VMP) in the event of a loss of our system. For example, would they provide supplies of hard copy documents, if necessary. Could we print documents and calculations on a printer other than the 3SI? VMP does have preprinted forms available for purchase, but you would have to have a way to type the information on the preprinted form. If the printer is a genuine HP LaserJet 4 or higher model (these all support HP-PCL 5 printer language), you would be able to print laser forms on it.

Updated February 14, 2005 at 10:41 a.m.