Blogs
A Business Continuity Initiative Model For Public-Private Partnerships
May 20, 2012 9:16 pm | by Daniel Hahn, MA, CEM, FPEM, Santa Rosa County Florida Emergency Management Plans Chief | CommentsTwo counties in the Panhandle of Florida recently came together to promote business continuity initiatives to all the small businesses in a two county area. So how do you organize a two county initiative across jurisdictional boundaries without upsetting anyone’s apple cart? You check your egos at the door.
Jackhammers, Touch Football & Kites
May 1, 2012 12:11 am | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsAt this year's Continuity Cares volunteer event I learned how to dig post holes with a jackhammer and had the pleasure of hanging out with a great bunch of kids from the Sunshine Acres Children's Home. My buddy for the day, and eight-year-old boy named Tyler, was inspiring with his positive outlook, enthusiasm, talent and wit.
Think About Never Failing, Not How To Recover
April 24, 2012 12:56 pm | by Dennis Wenk, Symantec | CommentsThe cost of recovery outstrips the cost of prevention by two to three times — recovery is becoming obsolete. In the new world of big data, private clouds, and mobile computing we need to think about never failing, not how to recover. Our views on recovery must be replaced with the notion of continuous service and resilient operations.
Half Way Through, Conference Exceeding Expectations
April 17, 2012 3:19 pm | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsThe first plenary session on Monday, What You Need To Know About PS-Prep, brought together representatives from DHS/FEMA, ASIS, BSI, NFPA and ISO. When it came to question time we heard some passionate statements that reflected frustration over the implementation of PS-Prep. One attendee was applauded when he suggested PS-Prep be administered by the private sector.
Social Media Tabletop: The Scenario & What To Bring
April 3, 2012 11:28 am | by John Orlando, PhD, Vertek Corporation | CommentsThe fictional town of Packerville, WI will suffer a tornado to begin the exercise. Each participant will engage with others to both get what they need and provide others with help using a specially created Facebook page. Participants will also use TweetDeck to monitor twitter feeds that provide injects during the event.
Security Fail
March 26, 2012 10:13 pm | by Mike Schmidt, Associate Editor, Manufacturing Business Technology | CommentsWhile many businesses recognize the value of protecting themselves from potentially disastrous security incidents, many fall short in their attempts to do so. Companies need to take more aggressive steps to protect themselves from security threats –- whether it’s closely studying their cloud provider, gaining a better understanding of their business data or considering an investment in outside security services.
The Digital Elephant In The Room
March 13, 2012 10:29 am | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsThe launch of our new-look website is the latest of many digitally focused changes at Continuity Insights. During my first few months as editor, the issue of whether we would “kill” the print magazine hung in the air like a bad smell. But we had a choice: Get with the times or get left behind.
How Many Lawyers Does It Take To Implement A Business Continuity Program?
March 5, 2012 7:19 pm | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsThe growing importance of business continuity planning was acknowledged by the American Bar Association this week in a resolution that urges all lawyers to take measures to protect client data, and encourages the formation of local committees dedicated to emergency management and response.
It’s Not About Disaster Recovery — It’s About Operational Resilience
February 28, 2012 3:39 am | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsIt is my pleasure to announce that Dennis Wenk from Symantec is the latest addition to the Continuity Insights editorial advisory board. His views on operational risk and disaster recovery will help us continue to provide compelling and forward-thinking editorial and conference content.
What You Wish You Knew During A Crisis
February 6, 2012 1:33 pm | by Kit Merker, Microsoft | CommentsDuring a crisis, there is almost by definition a shortage of accessible information. Because of the time pressure a disaster creates, anything considered noise gets filtered out and ignored. However, if you could create a plan to track the right information and make it available during difficult times, it could mean the difference between tragedy and a close call.
Going 'All In' With Your Supply Chain
January 20, 2012 11:44 am | by George F. Brown, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, Blue Canyon Partners | CommentsBest practice approaches to strategic supplier relationships offer tremendous potential. One of the most effective such practices involves taking a broader view of the supplier’s impacts on the customer organization. As part of various consulting projects, we’ve systematically mapped the way a supplier’s product connects to the customer’s operations and processes, trying to identify and quantify the “adjacency costs” that are connected to the supplier’s product.
The 7 Biggest Problems With Forbes’ Article On Disaster-Ready Cities
January 16, 2012 9:47 am | by Luke Simpson, Editor | CommentsAs Forbes enjoys compiling lists so much, I thought it appropriate to compile a list of why the article on most- and least-prepared cities is fairly meaningless. Take a look at the CDC’s report on its Cities Readiness Initiative and it immediately becomes clear that this ranking isn’t all that Forbes makes it out to be.
Inspiring Change
January 9, 2012 6:46 pm | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | CommentsChange comes with resistance. If we are the top dog of our organization or team, we can force change by dictating it. If that isn’t your option or your style, then inspire change by addressing the emotional motivations to change. Logic alone just isn’t reason enough.
Testing Your Automated Emergency Notification Systems
December 19, 2011 11:52 am | by Joe Flach, Safe Harbor Consulting | CommentsDo those of you who rely on automated notification systems test the process regularly? I know quite a few organizations that have invested in these software products and/or internet based services but yet never test them. I think that presents a huge risk if and when you need to implement the service.
Corporate Sandbox For Employee Devices Is A BC Tool
December 12, 2011 1:28 pm | by Ron Lapidis, Seacliff Partners International | CommentsAt VMWorld and at Open Mobile Summit this year, VMware showed off a new product currently code-named Horizon. While some websites are calling Horizon a mobile platform that creates a “phone within a phone,” Horizon is much more than that. Think of whatever computing device you have in your hands as a window to your applications and data.
