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Business Continuity Responsibilities

At Northwestern, business continuity is a shared responsibility amongst the community. An unplanned disaster or disruption can cause the loss of workspace, communications, or systems, and planning for these scenarios helps ensure as little impact occurs as possible.

Roles of Schools and Units

Academic, administrative, and research units are expected develop their own plans using the resources provided on this website. It is recommended that these plans be revisited regularly and updated annually in order to ensure they remain accurate. The plan should be shared with key leaders in the school or unit who would play a role in managing through a crisis situation.

Departments should forward updated copies of their business continuity plans to the Office of Risk Management .

Role of Office of Risk Management

Risk Management will consolidate information submitted in the plans and maintain a master database of key functions, systems, and timing across the University. In the event of a continuity scenario, Risk Management will bring together the impacted stakeholders and coordinate a mitigation plan.

If you need assistance in building your continuity plan, please contact our office.

For additional information, please contact Kate Booth, AVP RIsk & Compliance at k-cosgrove@northwestern.edu.