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PHOTO © KATHERINE LEITZMANN DISASTER FAVOR The institutional commitment came by way of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining an agreement that each school would set aside space for a full rack in each school's data center for use by the other school. Magnetic Stripe Options NOW AVAILABLE! Contrary to popular belief, there is a better way. It's easy to get trapped in the status quo. Now you can choose a smarter solution. aptiQ™ provides a simplified lineup of multi-technology readers that are easy to install and easy to use – ensuring an effortless integration today and conf idence for tomorrow. Cut through convention and take a better way. To learn more visit us at securitytechnologies.ingersollrand.com simple. smart. better. smar better rt 54 Both men had the idea about six years ago and have been looking for a partner school. They realized that the partners would need to be located far enough away from each other that the same disaster would not affect both. One day, in the course of his search for a partner, Pflueger emailed Puget Sound's IT group about his idea. Morse's positive response led to a working lunch at an EDUCAUSE technology conference, and the alliance was underway. Pflueger and Morse laid out a path for the project. First, they would develop an agreement that officials from both schools would sign. The agreement would articulate what each school would provide for the other in a way that would limit the liability for both. "We wanted to make sure that the good deeds we were going to do for each other would go unpunished," quips Morse. The Agreement The agreement itself and the parties to the agreement were both key to the success of the project. "In my research, I came across two schools that had carried out a similar project," recalls Pflueger. "That alliance just faded away when one of the two IT directors took another job. We decided that it would be important to get an institutional commitment to the plan from COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / MARCH 2013 YOURS, MINE, AND OURS. The innovative solution for disaster recovery of critical data established between the University of Puget Sound in Washington and Pomona College in California is believed to be highly unusual among liberal arts colleges. It has the advantage of being very low cost, while providing each college with a means to recover essential services within a day or so, rather than the weeks it can take under the recovery system commonly used by small colleges. The two campuses are far enough apart that it is highly unlikely both would be hit by the same disaster. the highest level. It would not just be an agreement between William and me." The agreement would also encompass the spirit of the planned alliance. "We agreed that this would be a favor that we would do for each other," says Morse. "No money would change hands." The institutional commitment came by way of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining an agreement that each school would set aside space for a full rack in each school's data center for use by the other school. The presidents of each school signed the MOU. Next, Morse and Pflueger each retained attorneys to negotiate the terms of the agreement. "It's important to understand all the details that would be involved in WWW.PLANNING 4EDUCATION.COM