The challenge: AmeriServ needed to better ensure enterprise-wide business continuity across 25 business units and four major locations.
SunGard solution: Partnered with AmeriServ's team to develop actionable plans that can protect the firm, meet regulatory requirements and scale to incidents of any size.
With $1.2 billion in assets, AmeriServ Financial Inc delivers a full range of consumer, commercial, trust and mortgage services in seven Pennsylvania counties. These services are provided through the holding company's various operating units, including AmeriServ Financial Bank, AmeriServ Trust and Financial Services, and AmeriServ's Residential Lending Division.
Like all US financial institutions, Johnstown, Pennsylvania-based AmeriServ now faces strict regulations for business continuity (BC) planning. The firm is required to maintain plans covering its four major locations, including the Johnstown headquarters, where AmeriServ runs cheque processing, bookkeeping and corporate functions; a second Johnstown location that houses loan operations, a call centre and collections; the residential lending office in Greensburg; and consulting operations in State College. AmeriServ also operates 23 retail banking branches.
Although AmeriServ's team had gained continuity planning experience while preparing for the year 2000, they needed expert guidance to develop the comprehensive, enterprise-wide plans required of financial institutions. What's more, they had just months to complete this mammoth project.
A collaborative approach
SunGard consultants partnered with the AmeriServ team to develop comprehensive plans covering all major locations and more than 25 business units.
They also developed a "model branch" plan that can be used to address incidents at any of AmeriServ's retail banking locations.
To build the plans, the team divided the business units (BUs) into two groups and assigned an AmeriServ employee and a SunGard consultant to each. In the first phase of the project, the teams interviewed their respective BUs to assess and address their needs. In the second phase the teams switched groups, helping to ensure that everyone was familiar with all BUs and that every base was covered.
SunGard consultants also worked with AmeriServ to identify when systems and processes would be needed.
Business-critical systems would require the most rapid recovery - immediately or within one to three days. Less critical systems were classified into two other categories: those needing recoveries of four to five days and those that could go six to 10 days or longer.
In just three-and-a-half months, SunGard and AmeriServ successfully developed plans to protect the firm and to meet regulatory requirements.
Thorough preparation
Although BC plans are often created to prepare for major disasters, AmeriServ's plan will help with minor interruptions, as well. "If a branch loses power for a few hours or if there's a big snowstorm, [the plan] will help us deal with that and keep operating. It can cover something very small, but also the large catastrophe that you hope never happens," notes John Kubinsky, Senior Vice-President.
With the plans in place, Kubinsky's team is preparing for testing exercises, such as practice evacuations.
Mission-critical systems will be tested every year, systems with recovery times of four to five days will be tested every two years, and those with recoveries of six or more days will be tested every three years.
With the flexible "model branch" approach and clear prioritisation of systems and processes, AmeriServ Financial is well positioned to meet regulatory requirements and execute in the event of an interruption - however big or small.
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