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DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS, BROADCASTING AND
COMPUTER SYSTEMS
by Galal El Mahdy

Mahdi Consult Inc., Canada, Formerly International Telecommunications Union, Switzerland

“In cases such as earthquakes or floods, telecommunications systems are likely to have all
their information destroyed if the network is not designed and managed properly. This book,
the first of its kind, provides accurate, accessible and relevant information to empower
managers and technicians to think and act strategically, to develop plans effectively and to
make decisions quickly to save their own and their company's interests. The disaster
management fundamentals are studied in broad detail, leading to the concept of contingency
planning and its application in the fields of telephone, data, computer, television and
broadcasting networks.

- Includes numerous case studies contributed by leading telecommunications
companies,
including the fire damage caused by El Nino in Taiwan and the Salem Express Red Sea
Ferry crisis
- Includes coverage of legal and safety issues
- Offers both a technical and a material perspective to the topic”

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AUDIENCE:

“This topical and highly practical text would prove to be a valuable reference resource for
operating engineers, technicians and design engineers in Telecommunications, Networks or
Broadcasting. The comprehensive descriptions of the theory, enhanced by the many
practical
illustrations mean this text would also be essential reading for IT managers and recovery
practitioners, as well as postgraduate students of Electrical Engineering.”

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“ This book is written to technical as well as non-technical readers. Thus the text balances
the
technical issues with the administrative, financial, and managerial issues. This theme is
punctuated by:- - Presentation of a thorough and detailed discussion of the theories of
disaster management - An integrated use of real-world examples throughout the text - Use of
feature articles material from leading telecommunications companies & common carriers,
highlighting the issues surrounding disaster & crisis management, in a broad spectrum of
telecommunications organizations - Case studies illustrating how actual disasters were
detected, studied, confronted & successfully controlled (or otherwise) - Lessons learned from
the different examples & case studies presented The book explains the different theories of
disaster management, and after that discuss its applications in the telecommunications,
Broadcasting and computer systems. Thus it will be useful to all those who are concerned
with disaster management as a subject. The book relies heavily on case studies to explain
the ideas presented in the general presentation. A special section is devoted to the
presentation of 12 real-world case studies, in the fields of telecommunications, Radio/TV
broadcasting and computer systems in addition to a step-by-step solution of another two
case studies. Yet throughout the book 12 other case studies, about disasters that I have
personally encountered and managed, are presented

“The main idea behind the stress given to case studies is to make the reader think about the
case, and then to arrive at an understanding of the WHYs and HOWs, before reading the
analysis. This concept is presented in the following format:
1 Background Information: (Present state)
2 Problem Faced:(Symptoms & Early warning signs)
3 Action Taken:(assuming no previous knowledge of Disaster Management)
4 Discussion: Given in the form of questions that leads the reader logically &
systematically
to discover what went wrong & what should have been done
5 Analysis: This presents, in a way, the most probable course of action that should
have
been taken & a clarification of the cause of the trouble.

“Finally, this book documents the experience that I gained through working for more than 40
years in the field with the United nations (ITU), telecommunications, Broadcasting and
computer organizations, where I faced a lot of disasters that I had to detect, identify, analyze,
and solve. Most of the time I was successful thank God, while in some cases I was not that
fortunate. It is hoped that this book will enable the reader to profit from my experience, and
avoid those places where I stumbled.” - - Dr. Galal El Mahdy

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PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE BOOK

INTRODUCTION

“Advances in telecommunications technology continue to accelerate. To be competitive in
such a dynamic environment, today's managers, professional engineers, and graduate
engineers can expect to be challenged daily to keep pace with the technical and operational
issues, opportunities and threats surrounding the operation and management of any
telecommunications system. This book is written for people who need to be able to detect,
understand, handle, and control a telecommunications system during a crisis. In managing
disaster, engineers will depend on accurate, accessible, and relevant information to help
them think clearly, act strategically, plan effectively, and make decisions that can save their
own interests and the interests of their organization.

“Major themes of the text are to prepare managers, professional engineers, and graduate
engineers to meet the challenges they face in their endeavor to safeguard against disaster,
to insure the smooth and safe operation of their telecommunications systems. Managers,
and
engineers working together in a telecommunications organization are responsible for the
success or failure of the organization when a crisis occurs, so the text balances the technical
issues with the managerial issues. This theme is punctuated in four ways:

- An integrated use of real-world examples throughout the text.

- Use of feature material from leading telecommunications companies and
common
carriers, highlighting the issues surrounding disaster and crisis management in a broad
spectrum of telecommunications organizations.

- Case studies illustrating how actual disasters were detected, studied, confronted,
and
successfully controlled (or otherwise).

- Lessons learned from the different examples and case studies.

TWELVE CHAPTERS: TWELVE FLEXIBLE MODULES

CHAPTER 1
“Chapter 1 defines problem, crisis, and disaster. The fundamental idea of thinking about the
unthinkable (disaster) is introduced, emphasizing that disaster prevention is not the top
management responsibility alone, but it is a responsibility shared by all involved in the
organization. The cost of a disaster is discussed at length.

CHAPTER 2
“Since the book is intended for the use of managers, professional engineers, and graduate
engineers, it was thought appropriate to highlight some of the fundamental concepts in
telecommunications, radio and TV broadcasting, power distribution systems, and
information
technology, to be used by those readers who need some technical background information
about one of these topics. Thus, Chapter 2 provides an overview of the fundamental building
blocks in telecommunications systems, including the computer hardware and software, and
the TV and radio broadcasting networks. It also gives an insight into the future of
telecommunications systems, highlighting the network of the future and the IMT 2000 mobile
telecommunications system.

CHAPTER 3
“Chapter 3 deals with common telecommunications systems disasters. It defines minor and
major breakdowns and disasters, and it discusses the role played by interruptions,
breakdowns, and disasters in the life of a telecommunications organization, stressing their
operational and financial impact, on the health of the organization. It goes into greater detail
on several topics, including these:
- Basic faultfinding techniques
- Troubleshooting electronic components and circuits
- Cable cuts; theft, fire, and arson
- The computer system, computer crime, the Y2K problem
- Natural disasters such as lightning, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods

CHAPTER 4
“Chapter 4 highlights the fundamentals of disaster management, then introduces the concept
of contingency planning along with examples to illustrate its application in the different
telecommunications disciplines. Here are some of the topics:
- Analyzing the disaster
- Analyzing the organization
- Contingency planning for different systems
- Proposals for integrated approach plans

CHAPTER 5
“Chapter 5 builds on thinking the unthinkable, a concept from Chapter 1, to stress how
disaster management begins with writing the specification. It emphasizes the role of the
design engineer in developing specifications, taking into consideration the probability of a
disaster. Here are some of the topics:
- Choice of technology
- Facilities and buildings design concepts
- Equipment reliability considerations
- Network configuration and management techniques
- Motivating people, dealing with conflict

CHAPTER 6
“Chapter 6 stresses some of the points raised in the earlier chapters to emphasize their
importance. It is impossible to give a disaster recovery plan for each specific
telecommunications specialty (around a hundred), so Chapter 6 presents a generic disaster
management plan, and each telecommunications manager, engineer, or graduate can adapt
it as required. Here are the topics it covers:
- The importance of a disaster planning and recovery strategy
- The disaster prevention scenario Risk management
- Vulnerability search, analysis, and rectification
- Contingency management
- The disaster-handling scenario
- A generic crisis management proposal
- Application of the generic disaster management proposal in selected situations

CHAPTER 7
“Chapter 7 complements Chapter 6. Here are the topics it covers:
- Basic reasons for the occurrence of a telecommunications disaster
- Factors affecting the telecommunications disaster
- The requirements of handling a telecommunications disaster
- Disaster management responsibilities
- Cost of a telecommunications disaster
- Security and political issues involved in a telecommunications disaster

CHAPTER 8
“Building on Chapter 5, this chapter looks at how to assess vulnerability in a
telecommunications system. It deals with the following topics:
- General considerations
- Assessing technical vulnerability
- Assessing financial vulnerability
- Assessing administrative vulnerability
- Specific action plans for a variety of networks

CHAPTER 9
“Safety is the first and most important consideration when managing a crisis. Chapter 9,
deals with the following safety topics:
- The case for a safe system
- Increased profits through engineering safety management
- Safety management as a part of the system
- Firefighting, fire control, and fire prevention
- Management of dangerous materials
- Controlling electrical hazards
- Protection from lightning strikes
- Personnel safety considerations
- Environmental hazards

CHAPTER 10
“Legal issues are often neglected in disaster recovery planning. This can have very
expensive consequences, since when a disaster happens and is not handled properly, the
service is disrupted and customers who have suffered losses might attempt to recover their
losses from the telecommunications organization. Chapter 10 looks at liability and limitations
to liability, insurance and indemnification.

CHAPTER 11
“Chapter 11 presents real-world situations, I have experienced personally or have been
involved with. They cover examples from telephone, data networks, computer networks, TV,
and broadcasting networks, and power distribution networks. Each case study shows how
actual disasters were detected, studied, confronted, and successfully controlled. The chapter
introduces how to deal with case studies, giving the detailed procedure to analyzing them;
this is followed by a worked example. Drawn from around the world, the case studies are
intended to make the reader think about the case, to understand the whys and hows. Do this
before reading the analysis.

CHAPTER 12
“Chapter 12 wraps things up with objectives and goals of the disaster management and
recovery plan, the planning process, implementation of the disaster management and
recovery plan, case studies and lessons learned.”

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CONTENTS

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE BOOK

1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Problem, Crisis, Disaster
1.2 Contemplating Disaster
1.3 Assume Nothing, Expect Everything
1.4 Shared Responsibility
1.5 The Cost of a Disaster
Summary
Review Questions

2 TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS: AN OVERVIEW
2.1 Fundamental Building Blocks
2.2 How a Telecommunications System Fails
2.3 The Future of Telecommunications
2.4 New Strategies for Disaster Management
Summary
Review Questions

3 SOME COMMON INTERRUPTIONS
3.1 Breakdowns and Disasters
3.2 The Health of an Organization
3.3 Operational and Financial Impacts
3.4 A Few Specific Topics
3.5 Natural Disasters
Summary
Review Questions

4 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT
4.1 Analyzing the Disaster
4.2 Analyzing the Organization
4.3 Contingency Planning for Different Systems
4.4 Proposals for Integrated Approach Plans
Summary
Review Questions

5 Designing for Disaster
5.1 Choice of Technology
5.2 Facilities and Building Design Concepts
5.3 Equipment Reliability Considerations
5.4 Network Configuration and Management
5.5 The People
Summary
Review Questions

6 SERVICE RECOVERY
6.1 The Importance of Strategy
6.2 The Disaster Prevention Scenario
6.3 Risk Management
6.4 Vulnerability Search, Analysis and Rectification
6.5 Contingency Management
6.6 The Disaster-Handling Scenario
6.7 A Generic Disaster Management Proposal
6.8 Selected Applications
Summary
Review Questions

7 OPTIONS FOR DISASTER RECOVERY
7.1 Basic Reasons for Disaster
7.2 Factors Affecting Disaster
7.3 Requirements for Handling Disaster
7.4 Disaster Management Responsibilities
7.5 Cost of a Telecommunications Disaster
7.6 Security and Political Issues
Summary
Review Questions

8 TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS AND THEIR VULNERABILITY
8.1 General Considerations
8.2 Assessing Technical Vulnerability
8.3 Assessing Financial Vulnerability
8.4 Assessing Administrative Vulnerability
8.5 Specific Action Plans
Summary
Review Questions

9 SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
9.1 The Case for a Safe System
9.2 Managing Safety Increases Profits
9.3 Safety Management within an Overall System
9.4 Firefighting, Control and Prevention
9.5 Management of Dangerous Materials
9.6 Electrical Hazard Control
9.7 Protection from Lightning Strikes
9.8 Personnel Safety Considerations
9.9 Environmental Hazards
Summary
Review Questions

10 LEGAL ISSUES IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Liability
10.3 Limitations to Liability
10.4 Insurance
10.5 Indemnification
Summary
Review Questions

11 CASE STUDIES
11.1 How to Deal with Case Studies
11.2 Two Solved Case Studies
11.3 Some More Case Studies
Summary
Review Questions

12 CONCLUSION
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Objectives and Goals
12.3 The Planning Process
12.4 Implementation
12.5 Case Studies and Lessons Learnt
Summary
Review Questions

APPENDICES
A Troubleshooting Transistors
B Troubleshooting Logic Circuits
C Troubleshooting FETs and MOSFETs
D How to Present Data for QoS Figures
E Paralleling of Broadcasting Transmitters
F Financial Turnaround at a TV Tube Maker

Bibliography

Index

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2001, 459 Pages. Order #DR551.

The Binomial Bookstore

Telecommunications, Networks

Rothstein Associates Inc.