Determine the risk to network data
and provide data recovery services
according to organisational
procedures
1
2004
Preview
Network Administrators need to determine the security requirements of an
organisation, identify the risks to security, and make use of a disaster
recovery plan (DRP) in the event of a minor or major disaster situation.
Before an organisation can develop a DRP it needs to undertake a risk
analysis to gauge the impact of loss and threats to the network. Contributing
to the risk analysis is part of the role of a Network Administrators. You will
not be expected to undertake a full risk analysis, but rather contribute to it,
especially by providing technical issues and recovery options.
Learning outcomes
After completing this topic you will be able to:

Review security requirements for users and data to be stored on the
network.

Determine any risks to which data is exposed and provide
appropriate prevention and recovery processes.

Document the disaster recovery process.

Implement systems to provide backup and be able to restore services
in the event of a disaster.
Before you start
You should be familiar with the features of a network operating system,
using network administration tools, and backup procedures.
Check your understanding
Do you think you already have the knowledge covered in this topic? Answer
the following questions to check your understanding.
Answer true or false.
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2004
The place to start a review of risk and recovery procedures is to look at the
security in place to stop access to the office building.
Feedback
Correct, this is false. The place to start is with the organisation’s policies
and any Service Level Agreement (SLA) requirements.
Try again.
Standards for how quick the organisation should be able to recover from a disaster will be
found in:
The backup documentation
The SLA
The latest audit report
The Standards Australia handbook
Feedback
Correct. This information is found in the SLA.
Try again.
What types of systems are ‘mission critical’?
Feedback
Financial, customer-related, cash flow-related, etc, are all systems that can
be critical to the core business of an organisation or business.
What are the steps to follow when carrying out a risk analysis on the network?
Feedback
To carry out a risk analysis on the network:
Identify threats to the network operations/services.
Consider the probability of each of the threats occurring.
Estimate the cost of resulting losses.
Consider the safeguards that could be put into place.
Undertake a cost benefit analysis of implementing the safeguards.
Implement safeguards as appropriate.
List five threats to a network that should be considered in a risk analysis.
3
2004
Feedback
Threats to a network that should be considered in a risk analysis include:

‘eavesdropping’

denial of service

viruses

unauthorised access

cable faults

server problems

power disruptions.
List precautions an organisation can take to prevent or minimise the impact of
disastrous events.
Feedback
Precautions include having the following safeguards in place:

fault-tolerant systems

uninterruptible power supplies (UPS)

encryption

virus checkers

RAID systems.
List the options an organisation can use to recover from a disaster.
Feedback
Options to help an organisation to recover from a disaster are:

backup routines

hot or cold sites

standby equipment.
Once the risks to a system have been identified:
All risks should be safeguarded in some way
The backup system is modified to eliminate all risks
Safeguards that are cost effective are considered
Risks that relate to the finance system need to be addressed first
Feedback
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2004
Correct. Safeguards that are cost effective are considered.
Try again.
Answer true or false.
Management may decide to ignore a risk.
Feedback
Correct, this is true. The cost of prevention may be so high that management
will decide to live with the risk.
Try again.
A disaster recover plan (DRP):
Should be created as part of a risk assessment process
Is only used when there is a fire in the building
Only covers the backup procedures
Is a secret document known only to very senior management
Feedback
Correct. A disaster recovery plan should be created as part of a risk
assessment process.
Try again.
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2004
Reading
Inside this resource
The readings here will help you develop your knowledge and skills for
determining the risk to network data and providing data recovery services
according to organisational procedures. This will involve an understanding
of:

Reviewing security requirements

Risk analysis

Documenting the disaster recovery process

Implementing backup systems and restoring services.
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6
2004
Practice
Activity 1: Summarise the impact of
policies
Review the policy and procedures document for the company Call Centres
R US.
Write a report that summarises the impact that these policies will have on risk
analysis and disaster recovery.
Feedback
Your report should have covered the following points:

Disaster and recovery planning is a part of the policy standards.

Risk analysis needs to be undertaken regularly.

Measures to be employed must be cost effective.

Major changes need a further risk assessment.

Backup procedures are documented.

Backup procedures can only be completed after the risk assessment
is completed.

A backup log is specified.

Systems are critical if they impact external clients.

Support staff are able to work on all hardware except for monitors.
Activity 2: Identify built-in facilities
Imagine that a risk analysis determined that customer files are commercially
confidential and need to be protected from unauthorised access.
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2004
Using any operating system that you have access to (ideally a networking
operating system) identify the built-in facilities that will help stop
unauthorised access to data files.
Feedback
Your response will depend upon the operating system you use, but as an
example, with Windows Server you could have identified:

the use of encryption using public keys

the use of cryptography to protect data transmission

the use of an audit to track file accesses

the restricted use of shared folder permissions

the use of NTFS permissions.
Note that the solutions themselves can then create other risks. For example,
if data is encrypted and the person that knows the password leaves, or is not
available, then the data may be irrecoverable.
Activity 3: Identify support for a UPS
One important disaster recovery option is to make use of uninterruptible
power supplies (UPS) to allow servers to shut down properly.
Review your network operating system and identify any support it may have for
a UPS.
Feedback
For example, with Windows 2000 server:

You should check that the UPS is listed on the Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL).

You can connect the UPS with a serial cable so the UPS can notify
the server that power had been lost.

You can specify the conditions that will trigger a shut down on the
server.

You can set the time internal for sending messages after power
failure.
Note that certain UPS vendors may provide their own software to provide
additional services that work with their product and various operating
systems.
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2004
Research
A network person is often expected to know or learn about every new piece
of network equipment that comes into the workplace. It is important that
you build a list of resources that relate to your network operating system.
Many of these resources can be found on the Internet or in textbooks.
You should always check that you have access to the original
documentation that came with the system you are using, as it can provide
some very useful information. Most hardware and operating system vendors
have their own website which provides a ‘Support’ section. Searching their
websites with key terms such as the name of your operating system followed
by the word ‘tutorial’ or ‘support’ or ‘help’ will provide many useful links.
Websites
The following websites contain information on risk analysis, disaster
recovery planning and/or links to other similar websites:

http://www.disasterplan.com/

http://www.drj.com/

http://www.mhhe.com

http://www.dir.state.tx.us

http://www.securityauditor.net/
9
2004
Terms
DRP
disaster recovery plan, describing recovery processes to get the business or
organisation back in operation as soon as possible in the event of a
particular disaster; it usually assumes the worst possible scenario and
identifies how the organisation could get up and running in the least possible
time
RAID systems
redundant array of inexpensive disks systems, sometimes also referred to as
mirrored disks; a prevention option to allow access to data to continue even
if a disk fails
SLA
service level agreement, between the network group and the user
community; also contain essential information about the availability and
recovery operations of the network that needed to develop restoration
services
UPS
uninterruptible power supplies, a prevention option to minimise the impact
of power loss or spikes and surges
10
2004