Articles
3 Simple Complexities Of Data Protection
September 11, 2012 10:30 am | by Dennis Wenk, Symantec | CommentsProtecting valuable data assets is a central concern for business continuity management. But data, like risk, comes in gradations. And like risk, the cost of copying data needs to be in balance with the benefits that it provides. After all, the only rational reason to spend money is to achieve a benefit.
The Effects Of 9/11 & Katrina On Hospital Preparedness
August 28, 2012 5:29 pm | by Catherine Hartwell, Disaster Responder, American Red Cross | CommentsBefore 9/11 hospitals lacked structured disaster plans and were inadequately prepared to properly respond to large-scale events. They were unable to both handle the surge of patients after a mass casualty event and continue operations after losing powe. In 2005, the catastrophic events of Hurricane Katrina exposed hospital’s insufficient preparations for coordinating with outside agencies.
Text Messages, Drills Central To 'Be Safe America' Initiative
August 24, 2012 9:35 am | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsContinuity Insights speaks with Len Pagano, President & CEO of Safe America Foundation, about the advantages of using text messages during a disaster, the lack of awareness surrounding preparedness and how business continuity professionals can use their exercising skills to promote community resilience.
Speakers’ Soapbox: Doug Weldon On Effective BIAs & Eisenhower
August 20, 2012 3:53 pm | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsIn the leadup to Continuity Insights New York, Doug Weldon, President of the BCI USA Chapter, discusses executive support, the need to have a total understanding of the business and its processes, and Dwight D. Eisenhower’s deep understanding of planning and incident response.
How Business Continuity Groups Can Partner With ERM & IT Groups
August 13, 2012 11:46 am | by Jason Merante, an executive in Accenture Technology Consulting | CommentsAs a consultant, I have had the opportunity to work for some of the largest and most complex corporations in the world. Based on my observations over the years, both positive and negative, I would like to share some ideas that will help bring the two disciplines of BCM and ERM together to achieve real business value and improve loss avoidance.
Speakers' Soapbox: Donna Arobone Blurs Fiction With Reality
August 10, 2012 10:06 am | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsDonna Arobone, IIG Divisional Contingency Coordinator at Vanguard, speaks with Continuity Insights about why she chose the movie Contagion as a case study in pandemic preparedness, what she would name her band and why Eleanor Roosevelt would have made a good business continuity professional.
Behind The Bureaucracy: How PS-Prep Can Shore Up Supply Chains
August 6, 2012 5:27 pm | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsAt its heart, PS-Prep certification is a very straightforward process: Simply certify to one of the three standards chosen by DHS and you’re pretty much good to go. Unfortunately, PS-Prep is plagued by several technicalities that cause potential adopter’s eyes to glaze over faster than you can say “ANAB-accredited certifying body.” To shed some light on the program, Continuity Insights speaks with Tim Mathews, Director of Enterprise Resiliency at Educational Testing Service, about how PS-Prep can shore up supply chains, the Wal-Mart effect, accreditation roadblocks, and the special consideration for small businesses.
Structured Networks & Self-Coordinated Disaster Response
August 3, 2012 11:00 am | by John Orlando, PhD, Vertek Corporation | CommentsSocial media has radically transformed communication. Now anyone can communicate to a group at almost no cost. More importantly, the group can communicate directly to each other at almost no cost. There are no longer the barriers to communication that drove the command and control model, and as a result new forms of coordination have emerged.
DHS Protective Security Advisors: Creating Resiliency Through Outreach & Security Assessments
July 30, 2012 5:40 pm | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsContinuity Insights speaks with Ed Gleason, Regional Director with the Department of Homeland Security's Protective Security Advisor program, about the security products and services available to private businesses, the "very real" cyber threat, critical infrastructure and the shift from "protection" to "resiliency."
Remote Infrastructure Management For Business Continuity
July 27, 2012 10:36 am | by John Bedrick, CMO & VP of Product Management, Opengear | CommentsMany times, infrastructure devices are located in remote locations that are either staffed with non-IT people or totally unstaffed. Remote infrastructure management is a technology-driven method for secure access, control, monitoring and management of a variety of devices installed throughout a communications network.
Lost Calls Mean Lost Business: Avoiding Communications Downtime
July 16, 2012 5:05 pm | by James Whitemore, Executive Vice President, West IP Communications | CommentsLouisiana 211 and the United Way are two organizations that are literally in the eye of the storm during natural disasters. Their business continuity plans look to the cloud to quickly scale up their communications and network connectivity to handle the increased volume of callers requesting assistance.
How SMBs Can Effectively Implement RaaS
July 9, 2012 5:29 pm | by Matthew Gerber, Chief Executive Officer, IT-Lifeline | CommentsRecovery-as-a-Service (RaaS), which enables institutions to recover data and systems within the cloud, has leveled the playing field for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) by providing access to comprehensive and cost-effective disaster recovery services that were once out of reach.
Train Everyone, Including The Band
July 2, 2012 3:45 pm | by Bo Mitchell, CBCP, 911 Consulting | CommentsIn 1991, the Oceanos cruise ship, carrying 571 passengers and crew, sank in the Indian Ocean off South Africa. The first people to abandon ship were the captain, his senior officers and most of the crew. So who was in command? The tour director. Her emergency team? The band that had been playing for passengers.
The Ins & Outs Of BCM Governance
June 25, 2012 8:16 pm | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsThe World Congress on Disaster Management (WCDM) kicked off in Toronto yesterday with delegates from around the globe coming together to discuss emergency management and, to a lesser extent, business continuity. Continuity Insights caught up with Gayle Mitcham, Vice President, Risk Consulting -- Business Continuity Practice at Marsh Canada Limited, to discuss how BCM governance is layered on top of existing BCM programs.
Focus On The Largest Source Of Risk: The Data Center
June 18, 2012 2:14 pm | by Dennis Wenk, Symantec | CommentsTechnology has transformed the way we do business and that transformation puts the data center directly into the domain of the business-oriented BCM practitioner because the data center is the largest source of operational risk in any organization. If BCM really wants to make a strong, significant contribution to mitigate risk then the data center is precisely where the practitioner needs to place focus.
