Contingency Management Plan

1. Purpose

The Contingency Management Plan defines the arrangements for responding to incidents that disrupt the availability, integrity or normal operation of the official AIIMS Bilaspur website. It aims to support timely incident reporting, coordinated response, service restoration and protection of official information.

2. Scope

This plan applies to incidents affecting the website, content management system, hosting infrastructure, domain or DNS services, databases, file storage, backups, integrations and other components required for website operation.

It covers technical failures, accidental changes, cyber incidents, data loss, service-provider outages and other events that may prevent users from accessing accurate and authorised information.

3. Objectives

  • Reduce disruption to public access to official information.
  • Establish clear incident-reporting and escalation arrangements.
  • Protect the integrity and confidentiality of institutional information.
  • Restore website services through authorised recovery procedures.
  • Ensure public communication during incidents is accurate and approved.
  • Record incidents, corrective actions and lessons learned.

4. Types of Contingencies

This plan may be activated in response to:

  • Website downtime or major hosting failure.
  • Database corruption, accidental deletion or data loss.
  • Cybersecurity incidents, suspected compromise or unauthorised content changes.
  • Failure of domain, DNS, network or related technical services.
  • Software malfunction following deployment or configuration changes.
  • Failure of essential website functions, forms or document downloads.
  • Unavailability of a critical technical service provider.
  • Any other incident significantly affecting website integrity or availability.

5. Roles and Responsibilities

5.1 Institutional Administration

The designated institutional authority shall provide administrative oversight, facilitate coordination and approve major decisions or public communications as required.

5.2 Web Information Manager

The designated Web Information Manager shall coordinate website-related incident communication, liaise with concerned departments and ensure appropriate administrative escalation and follow-up.

5.3 IT Team/Authorised Technical Service Provider

The authorised technical team shall investigate incidents, preserve relevant diagnostic records, implement approved containment and recovery measures, restore services and verify the system after recovery.

5.4 Concerned Department or Content Owner

The concerned department shall verify the accuracy of affected content and provide approved replacement information where necessary.

5.5 Authorised Communication Personnel

Only personnel authorised by the Institute shall issue official public statements, notices or service updates concerning a major website incident.

Specific names, contact details and on-call responsibilities shall be maintained in the Institute's approved internal contact and escalation directory.

6. Incident Response Procedure

Stage 1 — Detection and Reporting

Incidents may be identified through monitoring alerts, user reports, technical support, system logs or routine checks. Each incident shall be reported through the designated technical support channel.

Stage 2 — Assessment and Classification

The authorised team shall assess affected services, likely causes, potential data impact and consequences for public access. The incident shall be classified according to severity and urgency.

Stage 3 — Containment

Where required, the technical team shall take authorised steps to limit disruption, prevent unauthorised access or protect affected systems. Relevant evidence and logs shall be preserved where appropriate.

Stage 4 — Recovery

The technical team shall investigate the cause and restore affected services using verified backups, approved configurations, validated files or other authorised recovery methods. Recovery actions shall be documented.

Stage 5 — Verification

Before declaring the service restored, the authorised team shall verify website availability, key pages, content integrity, links and essential public-facing functions. Where compromise is suspected, appropriate security checks shall be completed before normal operation resumes.

Stage 6 — Communication

Where an incident materially affects access to public information, the Institute may publish an approved service notice or provide alternative official communication through an authorised channel. Public notices shall avoid disclosing sensitive technical details.

Stage 7 — Closure and Review

The incident shall be closed after appropriate verification and authorisation. The incident record shall document the cause, impact, response, restoration and recommended preventive measures.

7. Backup and Restoration

Website databases, files, configurations and other essential components shall be backed up in accordance with approved institutional backup and recovery arrangements.

The authorised technical team shall ensure, as applicable, that:

  • Backup schedules and responsibilities are documented.
  • Backup copies are protected from unauthorised access and alteration.
  • Restoration procedures are documented and tested periodically.
  • Restoration uses verified backup copies and authorised configurations.
  • Recovery actions are recorded and the restored website is checked for integrity.

Backup frequency, retention periods, recovery time objectives and recovery point objectives shall be established and approved by the responsible technical authority based on institutional requirements and available infrastructure. This plan does not assume recovery targets that have not been formally approved.

8. Cybersecurity Incidents

Suspected website compromise, defacement, unauthorised access or exposure of sensitive information shall be escalated immediately through the approved institutional security process.

The authorised team shall undertake appropriate containment and investigation measures and notify competent institutional and external authorities, including relevant cybersecurity authorities, where required by applicable instructions and law. Evidence shall be preserved and recovery shall follow approved security procedures.

9. Alternative Communication

If the website becomes unavailable, the Institute may use authorised alternative communication channels to provide essential public information, subject to institutional approval. Information issued through alternative channels shall be verified, consistent with official records and updated when normal website service is restored.

10. Testing, Training and Preparedness

Relevant technical and administrative teams should periodically review contingency arrangements, backup restoration procedures, contact lists and escalation paths. Recovery exercises may be conducted as approved by the Institute, and identified gaps should be recorded and addressed.

11. Documentation and Post-Incident Review

Records shall be maintained for significant incidents, including the timeline, affected services, impact, actions taken, recovery status and lessons learned. Where necessary, the responsible authority shall approve corrective and preventive measures to reduce the likelihood or impact of recurrence.

12. Review and Approval

This plan shall be reviewed periodically, after significant incidents and whenever material changes occur in website infrastructure, technical service arrangements or applicable Government instructions. Implementation shall be subject to approval by the competent authority of AIIMS Bilaspur.