Putting a price on IT failure and its prevention

Project reference : LGMF-177

Lead institution : University and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA)

Increasing resource is being allocated to reducing the impact of IT failures, because business continuity is essential for higher education institutions (HEIs). The business case should be based on the cost of failure, otherwise it is impossible to assess the quality of the solution, but it is difficult to calculate the cost of IT failure. Its impact varies at different times of the year, and comprises both direct and indirect costs, (for example, loss of reputation).

This project, which was completed in December 2010, developed a model for determining the costs of IT failure. Further information is available from UCISA.

Total funding : £32,000

Web-site : www.ucisa.ac.uk