Best Practices Tutorial

This PowerPoint provides an overview of the use of Best Practices by the industry. The primary objective of Best Practices is to provide guidance, based on assembled industry expertise and experience, for network reliability and resiliency.

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Best Practices Guidelines

  1. Proven through actual implementation – more than “just a good idea”
  2. Address classes of problems (rather than one time issues)
  3. A single concept should be captured in each practice (one thought, one practice)
  4. Should not endorse specific commercial documents, products or services
  5. Developed through rigorous deliberation and expert consensus
  6. Confirmed by a broad set of stakeholders
  7. Should not be assumed to be applicable in all situations or to all industry types
  8. Should not imply mandatory implementation

Recommendations

Communications organizations should evaluate and implement those Best Practices which they deem appropriate. These organizations should institutionalize the review of Best Practices as part of their planning processes and assess on a periodic basis how implementing selected Best Practices might improve the proficiency and reliability of their operations.

Best Practice Format

The format of the Best Practices should all be in the form of: “__________________ should ___________________”.

1st blank “Who” : consists of the implementer (i.e., Service Provider, Network Operator, Equipment Supplier, Property Manager, Government, Public Safety).

2nd blank “What” : consists of the Best Practice. The Best Practice may include the use of a modifier (e.g., consider, in order to, etc.).

Best Practices Numbering Format

For existing CSRIC Best Practices: Each Best Practice has a unique number that follows the numbering format: X – Y – Z # # # X = the current, or most recent CSRIC Council (e.g., 7 in 2004-2005) Y = the Council in which the Best Practice was last edited Z = 0-4 for Network Reliability and Interoperability = 1 for Disaster Recovery and Mutual Aid = 3 for Public Safety = 5 for Physical Security = 8 for Cyber Security # # # = any digits, where every Best Practice has a unique Z # # #

Critical Best Practices include those which met any of the following standards:

  • Significantly reduce the potential for a catastrophic failure of critical communications network infrastructure and/or services (e.g., telecommunication, public safety, energy sector, financial, etc.).
  • Significantly reduce the duration or severity of critical communications outages.
  • Materially limit and/or contain the geographic area affected by a communications failure from cascading to other or adjacent geographic areas.
  • Affect critical communications networks (e.g., SS7) for all network configurations, independent of size.
  • Preserve priority communications for key personnel involved in disaster response and recovery.

Highly Important Best Practices include those which met any of the following standards:

  • Improve the likelihood of emergency call completion, with caller information, to the appropriate response agency (i.e., Public Safety Answering Point), ensuring access to emergency communications for all callers.
  • Improve the efficiency and promote the availability of networks and the likelihood of call completion and message transmission (e.g., e-mail, instant messaging) for key personnel involved in disaster response and recovery.
  • Improve detection of network events by network operators and service providers.
  • Implementation has improved network reliability but may not be applicable for all networks or companies.

Important Best Practices include those which met any of the following standards:

  • Promote sound provisioning and maintenance or reliable, resilient networks, services, and equipment, but were not otherwise classified.
  • Common sense BPs that entities generally adopt.