CIOs forced to shoulder disaster recovery role

CIOs are being put in charge of business continuity and disaster recovery strategies, even though there should be a broader response to the issue, a panel of experts has warned.

Business continuity and disaster recovery are seen as an IT responsibility, said Peter Thomson, director of the Future Work Forum - part of the Henley Management College which offers businesses advice on future working practices. But, he said, there needs to be a combined inter-departmental effort to plan for when disaster strikes.

Also speaking at the SunGard-sponsored roundtable, Richard Nichols, associate director at IT executive club CIO Connect, said there's a default position where people assume it's the CIO's responsibility.

Nichols added most CIOs are well placed to take this responsibility on as they have the technology and probably the track record. But there needs to be a disaster recovery chief, rather than making it the CIO's job.

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Insurance group Royal & SunAlliance has a separate post to deal with and plan for disaster. Ian Houghton, manager of continuity and technology at Royal & SunAlliance said: "So many organisations have their CIO default as in charge of disaster recovery."

But it is people and not technology which are key to business continuity, according to Houghton. He said: "The key thing which drives our continuity is people. If we have not got people to operate the machines and understand the data, we do not have a business."

Houghton added despite many organisations giving their CIOs responsibility for these issues, these CIOs may not have had the training to deal with people affected by a disaster.

CIO Connect's Nichols added the CFOs need to be brought in to the discussion and "think beyond the pound and pence" to help out the business with such work.