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BCP Lessons Learned and Trends Worth Watching:Shaking Up the Business Impact Analysis
December 31, 2007 7:00 pm | by John Jackson | Articles | CommentsWelcome back to my column of trends and directions in the continuity industry. I'd like to ask you to take a more participatory role in reading this article. Please let me know what you think of my perspectives, good and bad, and offer up some of your own thoughts that I can share in future articles on this topic.
Great Ideas: Key Issues and Creative Solutions 2008 - An Industry Preview
December 31, 2007 7:00 pm | by Brian Zawada | Articles | CommentsI was asked by a number of readers, as well as the staff at Continuity Insights, to "predict" some of the trends we, as business continuity professionals, will deal with in 2008. In preparation for this column, I spoke with a number of leading practitioners, and generally it was agreed that very little will change in 2008, many of the key issues that emerged in the latter half of 2007 will continue to take shape. It also was agreed that despite the lack of new trends for '08, we will be dealing with some of the most significant issues our industry has ever faced.
First Responders' Proactive Role in Incident Detection
December 31, 2007 7:00 pm | by Harvey Betan | Articles | CommentsFirst responders, such as police, fire, and emergency medical technicians, are a welcome sight after an event occurs. We now live in a world where we need these individuals to not only react as they have been trained to do in the past but also take on a different role: that of possibly preventing events. The new environment in which we find ourselves requires us to be more lenient and accept certain limits to privacy and individual rights. In no way does this mean we must forgo these rights, but instead learn to live with the reasons behind relaxing them for the benefit or safety of others.
Ask the EAB - January/February 2008
December 31, 2007 7:00 pm | by The Staff | Articles | CommentsWe all agree that BCP needs to be brought to the attention of senior executives. But when we get the chance to present our progress to executives, we don’t often get the “Wow!” response we were hoping for. What needs to be on an executive’s BCP dashboard? What do they really need to know about BCP?
Mobile Banking in the United States
November 1, 2007 1:01 pm | by Yankee Group | White PapersFor the banking and financial services sector in the United States, mobile phones represent the last great, mostly untapped channel for direct interaction with their customers. Mobile banking solutions have the potential to provide anytime access to private, sensitive financial information and allow consumers to perform real-time transactions with their financial accounts from any location.
Verizon Wireless: Designed with Resiliency in Mind
October 31, 2007 8:00 pm | by Buffy Rojas Editor-in-Chief | Articles | CommentsWant proof that business continuity is going mainstream? Go to YouTube and check out the "Verizon Wireless Technicians Brave Colorado Mountain Storm" video. Among the zillions of stupid pet tricks, stupid human tricks, and clips from reality TV shows, here's a video that tells the story of a Verizon Wireless team responding to the massive 2006 Colorado blizzard.
Final Thoughts: A People-Focused Approach
October 31, 2007 8:00 pm | by Ron LaPedis and Rodrigo Naranjo | Articles | CommentsThe list of natural and man-made disasters that businesses have had to contend with has increased dramatically in the last few years. Disruptions resulting from these disasters have rippled across just-in-time supply chains, shaken entire industries, and taken their toll on employee, customer, and partner relations.
Looking Ahead to Voluntary Certification
October 31, 2007 8:00 pm | by Brian Zawada | Articles | CommentsThe "buzz" in the business continuity industry is the enactment of "Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007." Also known as H.R. 1 and Public Law 110-53, this legislation includes a key section on Private Sector Preparedness (Title IX) addressing the development and implementation of a "Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program."
The Data Dilemma
October 31, 2007 8:00 pm | by The Staff | Articles | CommentsContinuous data protection, high availability, data backup, data security, what does it all really mean? And what does it mean to business continuity professionals? We all know that business continuity has its roots in IT, springing from data center disaster recovery plans. And as business continuity has evolved and changed, it has, in many cases, moved out of IT. Today, the people who are responsible for business continuity, crisis management, security, and the like often don't have strong IT backgrounds. So how are they to know if their data is really protected, accessible, and valid?
Local Government is Taxing Business Recovery
October 31, 2007 8:00 pm | by Bill Lang | Articles | CommentsLife-safety is the most important part of first responder efforts. The tremendous job emergency management (EM) people do to keep people safe from all hazards must be acknowledged as world class. However, their life-safety mission can be at odds with private sector recovery and continuity efforts.
Team Membership
October 15, 2007 1:01 pm | by eBRP Solutions Network | White PapersSome economists assert that inadequate investment in new technologies is one of the major causes of productivity declines. Although most executives can easily agree with that statement, there is another equally valid belief that states the under utilization of existing technologies is also a major contributor to the lack of productivity.
Maximizing Data Center Investments For Disaster Recovery And Business Resiliency
October 5, 2007 1:01 pm | by Forrestor | White PapersBuilding a data center is a massive investment. It requires investment in real estate, reinforced facilities, raised floors, state-of-the art power and cooling, and IT infrastructure such as networks, servers, and storage — not to mention the experienced data center staff to manage it all.
Today's BCP: A Holistic Approach to Managing Business Risks
August 31, 2007 8:00 pm | by Mike Hager | Articles | CommentsBusiness continuity planning continues to evolve and gain prominence thanks to occurrences like hurricanes, dirty bombs, cyber attacks, etc. And companies with foresight recognize that BCP is a business necessity demanding a move from the traditional concept where IT is the driver, to one where enterprise-wide risk management-incorporating all critical business functions-is the key to addressing a broad range of potential hazards.
Ask the EAB - September/October 2007
August 31, 2007 8:00 pm | by Buffy Rojas Editor-in-Chief | Articles | CommentsMulti-national firms have a need to share information on their employees typically contained in BC plans that some data privacy and employment laws may prohibit from crossing borders. How can BC professionals ensure that their plans are complete and don't break the law?
UpFront: September/October 2007
August 31, 2007 8:00 pm | by Continuity Insights Staff | Articles | CommentsJapan has an earthquake every five minutes — 2,000 a year can be felt by people. When a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Northern Japan on July 16, 2007, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. (TEPCO) found that its continuity plan had some kinks in it. Although the nuclear leakage into the sea was a billionth of the legal limit, the press went wild with the event because information was so slow to be released to the public, the information was wrong when it was reported, and nine men died due in part to an emergency contact system and fire hydrants that were faulty.
