Response Structure
The University’s business continuity structure is made up of Gold (strategic), Silver (tactical) and Bronze (operational) response levels. This helps to ensure that incidents are escalated to senior management if necessary.
| Response level | Description |
|---|---|
| Gold | The strategic level response is represented by the Incident Response Team (Gold), chaired by the Senior Vice-President and Registrar & Secretary. This team is formed by a group of key senior managers. Its role is to coordinate and control the resources needed to respond to very serious situations which could threaten the University’s operations. |
| Silver | The tactical level response is provided by the Silver Incident Response Teams. These teams comprise groups of managers (they differ by incident type and area) who provide leadership for the recovery teams and coordinate support for the recovery effort. |
| Bronze | The operational level response comprises staff who carry out the Bronze recovery operations, usually under direction from the Silver Incident Response Team. |
It is vital that communications flow between the response levels to ensure a prompt and coordinated recovery.
The invocation of specific business continuity plans and their associated strategies are a vital resource for all Incident Response Teams.
A Gold Silver Bronze Guidance document has been prepared for responders, including:
- the incident characteristics associated with each response level
- recommended escalation routes
- SBAR for (a structured communication tool for use by responders)