These policies explain how NXT Interactive protects personal data, responds to security incidents and recovers from disasters.
Data Protection Policy
Security Incident Management
Disaster Recovery
Data Protection Policy
Introduction
Thank you for your interest in this Data Protection Policy! At NXT Interactive, we take our responsibilities under Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act (“PDPA”) and the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) very seriously.
As such, this policy sets out how personal data is managed and dealt with in order to ensure that the obligation to fulfil individuals’ reasonable expectations of privacy is applied and followed and that the responsibilities established under the PDPA and GDPR are complied with.
The requirement specified in this policy applies equally to all staff, contractors and service users and contracting parties engaged with NXT Interactive.
Rationale
NXT Interactive acquires, uses, stores, and otherwise processes personal data and special category data relating to potential and current service users, and personal data of our contracting parties, current and potential and former contractors, employees, and collectively refers to those individuals in this policy as data subjects. Likewise, no distinction is made between the rights of data subjects, and all are treated equally under this policy.
Our Role
During the course of you using our services we are processing and only insofar as this is necessary for our services the following categories of personal data: First Name, Last Name, Contact Data, Payment Data, and Contract Data. As well as special category data which is personal data that needs more protection because it is sensitive. This may include personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, genetic data, biometric data, or data concerning health. NXT Interactive will process personal data and special category data to the extent permitted by law, for example, in the course of providing our services or to comply with our legal obligations.
The personal data and special category data processed by us is collected and stored and used for the purpose of fulfilling a contract, our legal obligations, protecting legitimate interests, consent and explicit consent for Special Category Data, if necessary.
We may also use personal data for the following purposes: i) managing and planning operational processes; and ii) contractual data processing for payment and administrative purposes and service provision.
Purpose of the policy
This policy seeks to ensure that NXT Interactive is:
clear about how personal data must be processed;
complying with the PDPA and GDPR and with good practice;
protecting the personal data entrusted to us and that it is processed in accordance with data subjects’ rights;
protecting itself from risks of personal data breaches and breaches of data protection laws;
Scope
The policy covers both personal and special category personal data held by NXT Interactive in relation to data subjects. The policy applies equally to personal data held in print and digital form. All contractors and others processing personal data on behalf of NXT Interactive must read it and a failure to comply may result in disciplinary action. NXT Interactive’s Data Protection Manager is responsible for ensuring that contractors and others working on behalf of the Company comply with this policy and should implement appropriate practices, processes, controls, and training accordingly.
Data Protection Manager
NXT Interactive’s Data Protection Manager (“DPM”) is Naval Joshi, who can be reached at naval@nxtinteractive.com or call +65 31636746.
Data Protection Principles
NXT Interactive is responsible for, and must be able to demonstrate compliance with the data protection principles set out in the PDPA and GDPR and all personal data must be:
processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject,
collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes; further processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes shall not be considered to be incompatible with the initial purposes subject to appropriate safeguards, and provided that there is no risk of breaching the privacy of the data subject,
adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which it is processed,
accurate and where necessary, kept up to date; every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that personal data that is inaccurate, having regard to the purposes for which they are processed is erased or rectified without delay,
kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than necessary for the purposes for which the personal data is processed; personal data may be stored for longer periods insofar as the personal data will be processed solely for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes subject to implementation of the appropriate technical and organisational measures required by the PDPA and GDPR in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of the data subject, and
processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction, or damage, using appropriate technical or organisational measures.
Data Subjects’ Rights
The PDPA and GDPR grant several rights to data subjects. These are standardised in both provisions and include the following:
the right to be informed;
the right of access;
the right of rectification;
the right to erasure (the “right to be forgotten”);
the right to restrict processing;
the right to data portability;
the right to object;
rights with respect to automated decision-making and profiling;
the right to withdraw consent;
to be notified of a data breach which is likely to result in high risk to their rights and freedoms.
NXT Interactive requires the verification of the identity of an individual requesting data under any of the rights listed. Requests made must be complied with within one month of receipt and immediately forwarded to the DPM and are processed free of charge.
To assert these rights, please contact our DPM at any time using the details provided above.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority or the Singapore Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), 10 Pasir Panjang Road, #03-01 Mapletree Business City, Singapore 117438 www.pdpc.gov.sg. We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the PDPC or any other supervisory authority.
Accountability
NXT Interactive must implement appropriate technical and organisational measures in an effective manner to ensure compliance with data protection principles. NXT Interactive is further responsible for and must be able to demonstrate compliance with the data protection principles. Consequently, adequate resources and controls to ensure and document PDPA and GDPR compliance are put into place. Those are:
the appointment of a DPM,
security and privacy measures when processing and handling data are implemented,
a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is carried out,
policies and procedures for processing and handling data are implemented,
NXT Interactive contractors and others working on behalf of the Company are trained in accordance with the PDPA and GDPR,
security and privacy measures and processing and handling policies and procedures are reviewed and updated, and
audits and reviews are carried out regularly.
Responsibility
As the Data Controller, NXT Interactive is responsible for establishing policies and procedures in order to comply with data protection law.
The DPM is responsible for:
advising NXT Interactive and its contractors and others working on behalf of the Company of its obligations under PDPA and GDPR,
monitoring that the PDPA and GDPR and other relevant data protection laws are followed and applied,
monitoring training and audit activities related to PDPA and GDPR compliance,
advice when requested and conduct data protection impact assessments,
act as the contact point for the PDPC and data subjects, and
oversee NXT Interactive’s performance regarding risk deriving from processing operations, considering the nature, scope, context, and purpose.
Contractors and others working on behalf of the Company must ensure that:
all personal data is kept securely,
no personal data is disclosed either verbally or in writing, accidentally or otherwise, to any unauthorised third party,
personal data is kept in accordance with NXT Interactive’s Retention Policy,
queries concerning data protection, complaints and access requests are forwarded to the DPM immediately,
data protection breaches are swiftly made known to the DPM and that support in resolving breaches is prioritised,
any uncertainty about data protection is addressed to the DPM and without delay, and
they are aware of the Data Protection principles and have read this Policy.
Third-Party Data Processors
Where NXT Interactive is outsourcing or using external companies for the processing of personal data, the responsibility for the data remains with NXT Interactive.
A third-party data processor must:
provide sufficient guarantees about its data protection and security measures,
agree to a written contract covering what personal data is processed and for what purpose, and
agree to a written data processing agreement.
Data Security
We have a clear and specific objective to ensure that personal data is kept secure and up to date. In particular we have agreed to:
comply with the legal requirements in the provision of services,
process and use your data only to the extent strictly necessary to perform our obligations or as otherwise provided,
only disclose your data to contractors and others working on behalf of NXT Interactive that have a need to access your data,
ensure that all such contractors and others working on behalf of NXT Interactive are bound by a confidentiality agreement,
take all reasonable steps to ensure the reliability of all its contractors and others working on behalf of NXT Interactive who have access to your data,
ensure that appropriate controls are in place to prevent access to special categories of Data, where relevant, except in circumstances expressly authorised, and
implement, maintain and at all times operate adequate and appropriate technical and organisational measures to:
protect the security, confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your data, and
protect against unauthorised or unlawful processing of your data and against
accidental loss, destruction or the making vulnerable of, or damage to, your data,
such measures shall, at a minimum, meet
the requirements of the PDPA and GDPR, and
the standards required by all applicable accepted industry practices.
Data Subject Access Requests
Data subjects have the right to receive a copy of their personal data which is held by NXT Interactive. Likewise, an individual is entitled to receive further information about processing their personal data and in particular on:
the purpose of processing;
the categories of personal data being processed;
the recipients of personal data;
the retention periods;
information about their rights;
the relevant safeguards when personal data is transferred outside Singapore; and
any third-party source of the personal data.
Do not share any personal data without proper authorization. Do not alter, conceal, block or destroy personal data after such request has been made. Contact the DPM before making any changes or replying to a Data Subject Access Request.
Reporting a personal data breach
The PDPA and GDPR require that NXT Interactive reports any personal data breach to the PDPC if there is a risk or high risk to the rights and freedoms of the data subject. If you know or suspect a personal data breach inform the DPM immediately and follow the instructions set out in NXT Interactive’s Data Breach Procedure.
Limitations on the transfer of personal data
The transfer of personal data to a country outside Singapore, will only take place if one or more of the following applies:
the PDPC confirmed that the particular country ensures an adequate level of protection for the data subjects’ rights and freedoms,
the particular country provides appropriate safeguards such as binding corporate rules, standard contractual clauses approved by the PDPC, an approved code of conduct or a certification mechanism,
the data subject has explicitly agreed to the transfer,
the transfer is necessary for the performance of a contract between the data subject and NXT Interactive, and
the transfer is necessary for one of the other reasons set out in the PDPA and GDPR including:
the public interest,
establish, exercise, or defend legal claims,
to protect the vital interests of the data subjects, and
if the data subject is physically or legally unable to give their consent.
Record Keeping
The PDPA and GDPR require NXT Interactive to keep full and accurate records of all data processing activities. Keep and maintain accurate corporate records reflecting personal data processing, including Consent Form. Records should include, at a minimum, the name and contact details of the DPM, clear descriptions of the personal data types, data subject types, processing activities, processing purposes, third-party recipients of the personal data, personal data storage locations, personal data transfers, the personal data’s retention period and a description of the security measures in place.
Similarly, records of personal data breaches must also be kept and cover the following:
the facts surrounding the breach,
its effects, and
the remedial action taken.
Secure Deletion and Archiving of Personal Data
Personal Data must be deleted and stored using one of the following secure methods:
Documents in electronic format must be deleted with a secure deletion utility and standard deletion utilities should not be used,
Personal Data on hard drives, removable drives, storage devices or any similar item must be securely erased before any disposal or reassignment of the equipment,
Personal Data that is Archived on hard drives, removable drives, storage devices or any similar item must be organised in an orderly manner and encrypted using at least AES-256,
Paper copies must be destroyed using cross-cut shredders, and
The DPM must approve and record the destruction or deletion of personal data.
Sensitive and Special Category data
NXT Interactive is through the performance of its services not routinely collecting Sensitive and Special Category data. If the processing of Sensitive and Special Category data during the course of the provision of services or employment becomes necessary, we first need to obtain consents. In this context, consent means any freely given indication of the data subject’s wishes for the specific case in an informed and unambiguous manner, in the form of a declaration or any other unambiguous affirmative act by which the data subject indicates that he or she consents to the processing of personal data relating to him or her.
Audit and Training
NXT Interactive is required to ensure that all contractors and others working on behalf of NXT Interactive are adequately trained and compliance with the PDPA and GDPR is possible. We also regularly test our policies, systems, and processes to assess and ensure compliance.
Data privacy by design and default
NXT Interactive has to ensure that by default only personal data which is necessary for each specific purpose is processed. The obligation applies:
to the volume of personal data collected,
the extent of the processing, and
the period of storage and the accessibility of the personal data.
In particular, personal data should not be available to an indefinite number of persons, and you must ensure that you adhere to those measures.
Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs)
NXT Interactive must also conduct DPIAs in respect of high-risk processing before that processing is undertaken. NXT Interactive’s DPM will conduct a DPIA when:
new or changing technologies such as programs, systems or processes are introduced,
automated processing including profiling takes place,
sensitive and special category data is processed on a large scale, and
systematic monitoring of a publicly accessible area on a large scale takes place.
A DPIA must include:
a description of the processing, its purposes and the Data Controller’s legitimate interests if appropriate,
an assessment of the necessity and proportionality of the processing in relation to its purpose,
an assessment of the risk to individuals, and
the risk-mitigation measures in place and demonstration of compliance.
Marketing
NXT Interactive is subject to certain rules and privacy laws when marketing to our service users, residents, guests and clientele. A data subject’s prior consent is required for electronic direct marketing (for example, by email, text or automated calls). The right to object to direct marketing must be explicitly offered to the data subject in an intelligible manner so that it is clearly distinguishable from other information. A data subject’s request to object to direct marketing must be respected. If a data subject opts out at any time, their details should be suppressed as soon as possible. Suppression involves retaining just enough information to ensure that marketing preferences are respected in the future.
Access Control
Access to all information will be controlled and will be driven by business requirements. Access will be granted, or arrangements made for users according to their role and the classification of information, only to a level that will allow them to carry out their duties.
A formal user registration and deregistration procedure will be maintained for access to all information systems and services. This will include mandatory authentication methods based on the sensitivity of the information being accessed and will include consideration of multiple factors as appropriate.
Specific controls will be implemented for users with elevated privileges and leavers, to reduce the risk of negligent or deliberate system misuse. Segregation of duties will be implemented, where practical.
Antivirus/Anti-malware Protection
All workstation and server-based assets used, whether connected to the NXT Interactive network or as stand-alone units, must use NXT Interactive approved antivirus/anti-malware protection software and configuration provided by NXT Interactive. The following procedures shall be followed:
Virus protection software must not be disabled or bypassed,
Settings for the virus protection software must not be altered in a manner that will reduce the software effectiveness,
Automatic update frequency cannot be altered to reduce the frequency of updates,
All servers attached to the NXT Interactive network must utilise NXT Interactive approved/standard virus protection software and setup to detect and clean viruses,
All electronic mail gateways, devices, and servers must use NXT Interactive approved e-mail virus/malware/spam protection software and must adhere to NXT Interactive rules for the set-up and use of this software,
Any threat that is not automatically cleaned, quarantined, and subsequently deleted by malware protection software constitutes a security incident and must be reported, and
Antivirus/anti-malware signature updates shall occur on a frequency defined by NXT Interactive but shall occur minimally once each calendar month.
Glossary of Terms
Automated Decision-Making (ADM)
When a decision is made which is based solely on automated processing (including profiling) which produces legal effects or significantly affects an individual. The PDPA and GDPR prohibit Automated Decision-Making (unless certain conditions are met) but not automated processing.
Profiling
Any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to an individual, in particular to analyse or predict aspects concerning that individual’s performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behaviour, location or movements. Profiling is an example of automated processing.
Consent
An agreement which must be freely given, specific, informed and be an unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes by which they, by a statement or by a clear positive action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to them.
Data Controller
The person or organisation that determines when, why and how to process personal data. It is responsible for establishing practices and policies in accordance with the PDPA and GDPR. NXT Interactive is the Data Controller of all personal data relating to it and used delivering education and training and all other purposes connected with it including business purposes.
Data Subject
A living identified or identifiable individual about whom we hold personal data.
Data Protection impact assessment (DPIA)
An assessment tool used to identify and reduce risks of a data processing activity. A DPIA can be carried out as part of Privacy by Design and should be conducted for all major system or business change programs involving the processing of personal data.
Data Protection Manager (DPM)
The person appointed as such under the PDPA and GDPR and in accordance with its requirements. A DPM is responsible for advising NXT Interactive on their obligations under the PDPA and GDPR, for monitoring compliance with the PDPA and GDPR, as well as with policies, cooperating with the PDPC and acting as a point of contact.
Personal Data
Any information identifying a data subject or information relating to a data subject that we can identify (directly or indirectly) from that data alone or in combination with other identifiers we possess or can reasonably access. Personal data includes sensitive personal data and pseudonymized personal data but excludes anonymous data or data that has had the identity of an individual permanently removed. Personal data can be factual (for example, a name, email address, location or date of birth) or an opinion about that person’s actions or behaviour.
Special category data
Special category data is personal data that needs more protection because it is sensitive. This may include personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, genetic data, biometric data, or data concerning health. In order to process special category data, we first need to obtain consent.
Consent
Consent means any freely given indication of the data subject’s wishes for the specific case in an informed and unambiguous manner, in the form of a declaration or any other unambiguous affirmative act by which the data subject indicates that he or she consents to the processing of personal data relating to him or her.
Personal Data Breach
Any breach of security resulting in the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or unauthorised access to, personal data, where that breach results in a risk to the data subject. It can be an act or omission.
Privacy by Design and Default
Means implementing appropriate technical and organisational measures in an effective manner to ensure compliance with the PDPA and GDPR.
Privacy Policy
A separate policy setting out information that may be provided to data subjects when NXT Interactive collects information for example through the website. These notices may take the form of general privacy statements applicable to a specific group of individuals or they may be stand-alone, one-time privacy statements covering processing related to a specific purpose.
Processing or Process
Any activity that involves the use of personal data. It includes obtaining, recording, or holding the data, or carrying out any operation or set of operations on the data including organising, amending, retrieving, using, disclosing, erasing or destroying it. Processing also includes transmitting or transferring Personal Data to third parties. Basically, it is anything that can be done to personal data from its creation to its destruction, including both creation and destruction.
Pseudonymization or Pseudonymized
Replacing information that directly or indirectly identifies an individual with one or more artificial identifiers or pseudonyms so that the person, to whom the data relates, cannot be identified without the use of additional information which is meant to be kept separately and secure.
Review
NXT Interactive will continue to review the effectiveness of this policy to ensure it is achieving its stated objectives on at least an annual basis and more frequently if required taking into account changes in the law and organisational or security changes.
Concerns and Contact
If you have any questions or comments about our Data Protection Policy or wish to exercise your rights under applicable laws, please contact our DPM.
Security Incident Management Procedure
Procedure Objective
To ensure that all security incidents are reported promptly so that:
Any adverse effects can be minimised;
The root causes can be identified, and corrective and preventive action taken to prevent future security incidents occurring;
Scope
This procedure applies to all information security incidents that compromise or have the potential to compromise the confidentiality and/or integrity and/or availability of one or more of the organisation’s information assets.
Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of the Director to ensure that this procedure is implemented, and any resources required are made available.
It is the responsibility of the Director to monitor the effectiveness of this procedure and report the results at management reviews.
It is the responsibility of all employees to identify and report security incidents as soon as they observe, encounter or identify them. Security incidents must be reported to the DPM.
It is the responsibility of the DPM to authorise and ensure appropriate contact is made with a regulatory body and/or enforcement agency/Personal Data Protection Commission’s Office and, where appropriate, Information Subjects regarding security incidents identified.
It is the responsibility of all employees to proactively and positively participate in the completion of an investigation of a security incident, where they are requested to do so.
It is the responsibility of the DPM to ensure that all security incidents are recorded and investigated in accordance with this procedure.
It is the responsibility of the Technical Project manager to ensure that the results of any investigation of a security incident are communicated to relevant asset owners and where appropriate, employees, customers, suppliers, subcontractors and other interested third parties.
Definitions
Asset: Any physical entity that can affect the confidentiality, availability and integrity of the organisation’s information assets.
Asset owner: Person appointed by Top Management as accountable for the production, development, maintenance and security of an asset.
Availability: The accessibility and usability of an information asset upon demand by an authorised entity.
Confidentiality: The restrictions placed on the access or disclosure of an information asset.
Controller: A natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of a set of Personal Data.
Control measure: Any means of managing risk to mitigate accidents and incidents, including policies, procedures, guidelines, work methods, training, supervision, equipment or organisational structures, which can be of an administrative, technical or legal nature.
Identifiable natural person: A natural person who can be identified directly or indirectly, in particular with reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that person.
Information asset: Any information that has value to the organisation’s stakeholders and requires protection.
Information subject: An Identifiable natural person who has Personal Data that NXT Interactive is the Controller of or is a Processor on behalf of a Controller.
Integrity: The accuracy and completeness of an Information Asset.
Personal Data: Any information relating to an Identifiable natural person.
Processor: A person or organisation who processes Personal Data on behalf of a Controller.
Risk: The effect of uncertainty, i.e. the likelihood of an accident or incident occurring and its severity, often in a negative context.
Risk assessment: A systematic method for identifying business risks and opportunities, hazards or threats and vulnerabilities by assessing likelihood and severity, identifying any control measures required and prioritising their implementation.
Security incident: Any event that has a potentially negative impact on the confidentiality and/or integrity and/or availability of an information asset.
Threat: A potential cause of an unwanted incident that may result in harm to an information asset. Threats may be deliberate, accidental or environmental.
Vulnerability: The weakness of an asset or group of assets that can be exploited by one or more threats.
Associated Documents
All associated documents referred to in this procedure are highlighted in bold and underlined.
Security Incident Reporting and Investigation Procedure
For every security incident that occurs immediate action must be taken to:
Limit its impact; and
Obtain and preserve evidence to enable an accurate investigation to be completed, root causes identified, and corrective action taken to prevent a recurrence.
The following types of action should be considered to limit the impact of a security incident:
Quarantining an asset or group of assets whose security is suspected to be compromised;
Suspending an employee or subcontractor in accordance with the organisation’s Disciplinary and Appeals Policy and Procedure and/or the relevant subcontractor’s service agreement;
Evacuating an office area or implementing temporary access restrictions;
Limiting the distribution/communication of information about the incident;
Altering system access controls and changing individual access permissions in accordance with the Access Control Policy;
Contacting a regulatory body or enforcement agency;
The details of each security incident including any evidence gathered and the short-term containment action taken must be recorded in the Security Incident Log.
Wherever possible each security incident should be thoroughly investigated to identify root causes and corrective actions that would prevent recurrence. The results of any investigations where corrective actions are identified should be recorded in the Improvement Log as per the Improvement Procedure.
In the case of an incident relating to Personal Data where NXT Interactive is the Controller:
The DPM must without undue delay and, where feasible, not later than 72 hours after having become aware of it, notify the incident to the Personal Data Protection Commission’s Office, unless the incident is unlikely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of Information Subjects whose Personal Data has been affected by the incident. If the notification to the Personal Data Protection Commission’s Office is not made within 72 hours, it must be accompanied by reasons for the delay.
The notification provided to the Personal Data Protection Commission’s Office must at least:
Describe the nature of the personal data breach including where possible, the categories and approximate number of data subjects concerned, and the categories and approximate number of personal data records concerned;
Include name and contact details of the DPM where more information can be obtained;
Describe the likely consequences of the security incident;
Describe the measures taken or proposed to be taken by NXT Interactive to address the incident, including, where appropriate, measures to mitigate its possible adverse effects.
If the incident is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of Information Subjects whose Personal Data has been affected by the incident, DPM must communicate the Security Incident to the Information Subject without undue delay, unless:
The Personal Data is sufficiently protected by encryption so that it is unintelligible to any person who is not authorised to access it; or
Action is taken that will ensure that the high risk is no longer likely to materialise; or
The Personal Data Protection Commission agrees that it would involve disproportionate effort. In such a case, DPM will instead issue public communication whereby the Information Subjects are informed in an equally effective manner.
In the case of an incident relating to Personal Data where NXT Interactive is the Processor:
DPM must notify the Controller of the affected Personal Data without undue delay after becoming aware of a Security Incident and provide them with a completed report.
Where security incidents require communications to Information Subjects whose Personal Data has been affected:
It must describe in clear and plain language the nature of the Security Incident;
Include name and contact details of the DPM where more information can be obtained;
Describe the likely consequences of the Security Incident;
Describe the measures taken or proposed to be taken by NXT Interactive to address the incident, including, where appropriate, measures to mitigate its possible adverse effects.
Where the confidentiality and/or integrity and/or availability of an information asset is compromised, the Asset and Risk Assessment Register and the Personal Data Processing Register must be reviewed and updated as per the Information Asset and Risk Management Procedure.
Monitoring and review
All security incident reports, investigations and the progress of any follow-up work must be reviewed at management reviews.
Disaster Recovery Plan
Introduction
When disaster strikes, business suffers. A goal of business planning is to mitigate disruption of product and services delivery to the greatest degree possible when disruption due to disaster occurs. Business continuity is the overarching concern.
A disaster recovery plan is the lynchpin of an overall business continuity strategy. And the purpose of business continuity is to maintain a minimum level of service while restoring the organisation to business as usual. If a business fails to put a disaster recovery plan in place then, when disaster strikes, the company risks losing customers to competitors, losing funding and having the need for its products or services re-evaluated and deemed unnecessary.
Statement of Intent
This document delineates our policies and procedures for disaster recovery, as well as our process-level plans for recovering critical technology platforms and the telecommunications infrastructure. This document summarises our recommended procedures. In the event of an actual emergency situation, modifications to this document may be made to ensure physical safety of our people, our systems, and our data.
Our mission is to ensure information system uptime, data integrity and availability, and business continuity.
Policy Statement
Corporate management has approved the following policy statement:
The company shall develop a comprehensive disaster recovery plan.
A formal risk assessment shall be undertaken to determine the requirements for the disaster recovery plan.
The disaster recovery plan should cover all essential and critical infrastructure elements, systems and networks, in accordance with key business activities.
The disaster recovery plan should be periodically tested in a simulated environment to ensure that it can be implemented in emergency situations and that the management and staff understand how it is to be executed.
All staff must be made aware of the disaster recovery plan and their own respective roles.
The disaster recovery plan is to be kept up to date to take into account changing circumstances.
Objectives
The principal objective of the disaster recovery program is to develop, test and document a well-structured and easily understood plan which will help the company recover as quickly and effectively as possible from an unforeseen disaster or emergency which interrupts information systems and business operations. Additional objectives include the following:
The need to ensure that all employees fully understand their duties in implementing such a plan
The need to ensure that operational policies are adhered to within all planned activities
The need to ensure that proposed contingency arrangements are cost-effective
The need to consider implications on other company sites
Disaster recovery capabilities as applicable to key customers, vendors and others
Key Personnel Contact Info
Naval Joshi
Co-Founder, Engineer & Director
P: +65 31636746
Plan Overview
Plan Updating
It is necessary for the DRP updating process to be properly structured and controlled. Whenever changes are made to the plan they are to be fully tested and appropriate amendments should be made to the training materials. This will involve the use of formalised change control procedures under the control of the Director.
Plan Documentation Storage
Copies of this Plan, CD, and hard copies will be stored in secure locations to be defined by the company. Each member of senior management will be issued a CD and hard copy of this plan to be filed at home. Each member of the Disaster Recovery Team and the Business Recovery Team will be issued a CD and hard copy of this plan. A master protected copy will be stored on specific resources established for this purpose.
Backup Strategy
Key business processes and the agreed backup strategy for each are listed below. The strategy chosen is for a fully mirrored recovery site at the company’s offices.
This strategy entails the maintenance of a fully mirrored duplicate site which will enable instantaneous switching between the live site (headquarters) and the backup site.
IT Operations: Fully mirrored recovery site
Tech Support - Hardware: Fully mirrored recovery site
Tech Support - Software: Fully mirrored recovery site
Facilities Management: Fully mirrored recovery site
Email: Fully mirrored recovery site
Purchasing: Fully mirrored recovery site
Disaster Recovery: Fully mirrored recovery site
Finance: Fully mirrored recovery site
Contracts Admin: Fully mirrored recovery site
Warehouse & Inventory: Fully mirrored recovery site
Product Sales: Fully mirrored recovery site
Maintenance Sales: Fully mirrored recovery site
Human Resources: Off-site data storage facility
Testing: Fully mirrored recovery site
Workshop: Fully mirrored recovery site
Call Center: Fully mirrored recovery site
Web Site: Fully mirrored recovery site
Risk Management
There are many potential disruptive threats which can occur at any time and affect the normal business process. We have considered a wide range of potential threats and the results of our deliberations are included in this section. Each potential environmental disaster or emergency situation has been examined. The focus here is on the level of business disruption which could arise from each type of disaster.
Flood
Fire
Tornado
Electrical storms
Act of terrorism
Act of sabotage
Electrical power Failure
Loss of communications network services
Probability: 1=Very High, 5=Very Low Impact: 1=Total destruction, 5=Minor annoyance
Emergency
Alert, escalation and plan invocation
Plan Triggering Events
Key trigger issues at headquarters that would lead to activation of the DRP are:
Total loss of all communications
Total loss of power
Flooding of the premises
Loss of the building
Assembly Points
Where the premises need to be evacuated, the DRP invocation plan identifies two evacuation assembly points:
Primary –
Alternate –
Activation of Emergency Response Team
When an incident occurs the Emergency Response Team (ERT) must be activated. The ERT will then decide the extent to which the DRP must be invoked. All employees must be issued a Quick Reference card containing ERT contact details to be used in the event of a disaster.
Responsibilities of the ERT are to:
Respond immediately to a potential disaster and call emergency services;
Assess the extent of the disaster and its impact on the business, data centre, etc.;
Decide which elements of the DR Plan should be activated;
Establish and manage disaster recovery team to maintain vital services and return to normal operation;
Ensure employees are notified and allocate responsibilities and activities as required
Disaster Recovery Team
The team will be contacted and assembled by the ERT. The team’s responsibilities include:
Establish facilities for an emergency level of service within 2.0 business hours;
Restore key services within 4.0 business hours of the incident;
Recover to business as usual within 8.0 to 24.0 hours after the incident;
Coordinate activities with disaster recovery team, first responders, etc.
Report to the emergency response team
Emergency Alert, Escalation and DRP Activation
This policy and procedure has been established to ensure that in the event of a disaster or crisis, personnel will have a clear understanding of who should be contacted. Procedures have been addressed to ensure that communications can be quickly established while activating disaster recovery.
The DR plan will rely principally on key members of management and staff who will provide the technical and management skills necessary to achieve a smooth technology and business recovery. Suppliers of critical goods and services will continue to support recovery of business operations as the company returns to normal operating mode.
Emergency Alert
The person discovering the incident calls a member of the Emergency Response Team in the order listed:
Emergency Response Team
Charina Widjaja - Co-founder +65 9338 9381
The Emergency Response Team (ERT) is responsible for activating the DRP for disasters identified in this plan, as well as in the event of any other occurrence that affects the company’s capability to perform normally.
One of the tasks during the early stages of the emergency is to notify the Disaster Recovery Team (DRT) that an emergency has occurred. The notification will request DRT members to assemble at the site of the problem and will involve sufficient information to have this request effectively communicated. The Business Recovery Team (BRT) will consist of senior representatives from the main business departments. The BRT Leader will be a senior member of the company’s management team, and will be responsible for taking overall charge of the process and ensuring that the company returns to normal working operations as early as possible.
DR Procedures for Management
Members of the management team will keep a hard copy of the names and contact numbers of each employee in their departments. In addition, management team members will have a hard copy of the company’s disaster recovery and business continuity plans on file in their homes in the event that the headquarters building is inaccessible, unusable, or destroyed.
Contact with Employees
Managers will serve as the focal points for their departments, while designated employees will call other employees to discuss the crisis/disaster and the company’s immediate plans. Employees who cannot reach staff on their call list are advised to call the staff member’s emergency contact to relay information on the disaster.
Backup Staff
If a manager or staff member designated to contact other staff members is unavailable or incapacitated, the designated backup staff member will perform notification duties.
Recorded Messages / Updates
For the latest information on the disaster and the organisation’s response. Included in messages will be data on the nature of the disaster, assembly sites, and updates on work resumption.
Personnel and Family Notification
If the incident has resulted in a situation which would cause concern to an employee’s immediate family such as hospitalisation of injured persons, it will be necessary to notify their immediate family members quickly.
Insurance
As part of the company’s disaster recovery and business continuity strategies a number of insurance policies have been put in place. These include errors and omissions, directors & officers liability, general liability, and business interruption insurance.
If insurance-related assistance is required following an emergency out of normal business hours, please contact:
Financial and Legal Issues
Financial Assessment
The emergency response team shall prepare an initial assessment of the impact of the incident on the financial affairs of the company. The assessment should include:
Loss of financial documents
Loss of revenue
Theft of check books, credit cards, etc.
Loss of cash
Financial Requirements
The immediate financial needs of the company must be addressed. These can include:
Cash flow position
Temporary borrowing capability
Upcoming payments for taxes, payroll taxes, Social Security, etc.
Availability of company credit cards to pay for supplies and services required post-disaster
Legal Actions
The company legal department and ERT will jointly review the aftermath of the incident and decide whether there may be legal actions resulting from the event; in particular, the possibility of claims by or against the company for regulatory violations, etc.
DRP Exercising
Disaster recovery plan exercises are an essential part of the plan development process. In a DRP exercise no one passes or fails; everyone who participates learns from exercises – what needs to be improved, and how the improvements can be implemented. Plan exercising ensures that emergency teams are familiar with their assignments and, more importantly, are confident in their capabilities.
Successful DR plans launch into action smoothly and effectively when they are needed. This will only happen if everyone with a role to play in the plan has rehearsed the role one or more times. The plan should also be validated by simulating the circumstances within which it has to work and seeing what happens.
Review
NXT Interactive will continue to review the effectiveness of this Disaster Recovery Plan to ensure it is achieving its stated objectives on at least an annual basis and more frequently if required taking into account changes in the law and organisational or security changes.

