“We are now more confident,” says Lukito Suwarno, Vice President Information & Communication Technology (ICT) PT Pertamina EP after the company implements Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP).

As a subsidiary of PT Pertamina (Persero) handling the upstream business, the preparedness to mitigate disaster and uncertainty is an important aspect that determines the business continuity during critical moments. Something nonnegotiable.

Lukito’s department plays a significant role with responsibility in data management, communication, geomatics, and IT. It also led anticipatory measures, from drafting Disaster Recovery Procedure (DRP) to the development of Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) targeted to complete in 2013.

The ICT department at the company has a wide scope of work. Aside being responsible of IT service, data management, and communication at the main office, its scope of work also spreads up in 21 locations from Rantau, Aceh, to Klamono, Papua. In data management, ICT department is responsible in storing and processing the company’s important data’s including the oil and gas reserve. The data is obtained through expensive process of drilling and studies.

Previously, the company hasn’t had any maintenance mechanism of the data center. Thus, Lukito encourage the company to develop DRP document as a guideline to prepare for natural and human caused disaster. It will also be a foundation for developing DRC.

Lukito says the company had made plenty of good plans but it was never realized. Thus, in this matter he is very realistic by doing things that can be done.

“We don't have to wait for a big plan that cannot be executed,” he says.

User Involvement is the Success Key

DRP document drafting was initiated in 2011. Suring the year, the ICT department did a research study on DRP. The company later appointed PT Mitra Integrasi Informatika (MII) as consultant for the project.

Pertamina EP applied strict criteria in choosing their partner, especially experience and certification. Lukito says his company only favors the ones with adequate experience. Moreover the DRP drafting is a paper work with high duplication potential.

Certification is another important matters, despite almost everyone could draft DRP document. “But only a certified consultant knows what’s they’re writing. Both are the filters we use to select the consultant. Value weighing and passing grade are also applied to get the right candidate,” Lukito explains.

The DRP drafting took six months, it started by building the same perception between MII and Pertamina EP that include meetings with employees who consider DRP as novelty. But one of the success factors is the user enthusiasm. The drafting process went to a series of interviews, direct or through questioner. Field research were also conducted in four locations: Rantau (Aceh), Prabumulih (South Sumatera), Tanjung (South Kalimantan), and Cepu (Central Java). The results were categorized in certain criteria like units that are prone to disaster, which system that cannot tolerate interruption and which one can.

“In the beginning we were pessimistic about whether the user would welcome, turs out they were enthusiastic,” kata Lukito.

To make the program a success, Lukito optimize socialization activities, either to the top management or the entire staffs. This is done not Justin formal events but also though informal ways so that others could understand the matter.

“We explains the benefit of the program, it doesn't have to be much but efficient. Since Pertamina EP core business is oil and gas, many were not interested about IT. But it’s not an IT project instead Pertamina EP’s business project that would assure the company going concern,” says Lukito