De Queen reviews disaster plan for data recovery

Each January, the city of De Queen, Ark., reviews its disaster recovery procedures as part of a continuity-of-operations plan, according to De Queen Mayor Billy Ray McKelvy.

The Arkansas Division of Legislative Audit started requiring cities to have a continuity plan.

"Computers and electronic data are a big part of any city's business. Financial records, including payroll and payments to suppliers, are used daily and great efforts are made to protect these from loss," he said.

State auditors require a continuity plan because in the event of a disaster, the ability to pay employees and suppliers will be an essential part of the recovery.

"Computer records are backed up on site at City Hall. They are also backed up each evening to an Internet-based storage system. In case of a complete loss of the local computer system, records can be recovered from cloud storage while a new computer system is installed," McKelvy said.

Legislative Audit requires cities to test their disaster plan two times per year.

"The city of De Queen schedules one test for the first of a new year. Another test is usually scheduled prior to the arrival of state auditors. Tests usually include a review of the backup system and download of selected test files to make sure they can be retrieved. The test also involves a review of policies on access to the city's system," he said.

"Moving large amounts of data requires reliable Internet access. Last year, the city of De Queen switched to a fiber optic line that provides 50-megabit speed for both upload and download. Changes to the phone system have not been finalized," McKelvy said.

In addition to city records, police cameras generate large data files that must be uploaded to online storage each day, he said.

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