Filed under: Knowledge | Tags: business, business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, COOP, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, Phoenix software, sharepoint, vicki thomas
Last week our sponsored cyclo-cross racer, Vicki Thomas, had a near disaster of her own… No, luckily this did not involve a car meets bike or bike racer meets big tree type of disaster. This disaster while not affecting her personal health definitely could have had a big impact on her bike racing, career, and peace of mind. Luckily thanks to the awareness of her neighbours, an attempted break and enter on her house was averted.
Vicki’s eagle-eyed neighbours noticed a young man attempting to get into her house via the basement window and a crowbar…. As luck would have it, one of her neighbours is an undercover police officer who was just returning from work. So yes, the guy with the crow bar and the two in the getaway car were caught. Thank goodness. While not on the same scale as a flood, fire or pandemic, if these guys had managed to get into Vicki’s house, this would have been a disaster.
You see it is all about how you think of disasters. We touched on this previously when we talked about the air travel disruptions thanks to that big volcano in Icecland. Well, similar case here. While the break and enter would have most likely have resulted in the house being messed up, the cat getting scared and the potential loss of Vicki’s laptop, iPod and a few other valuables, it is this potential that makes you worry. The potential of what could happen if “x” or “y” happens or goes wrong.
Now, Vicki is the first to admit that she hadn’t really considered how important her laptop is to her day-to-day life. Sure she uses it for her freelance writing career, updates her blog posts with it, surfs the Internet with it, and pokes around on Twitter and Facebook – but this didn’t really seem that valuable until the potential for it not being available was considered. She started going through her computer, taking an inventory of the files she actually has on it. Well, what do you know – there is a lot of stuff on there, ranging from sponsorship proposals, to works-in-progress, contact information, articles she’s written, invoices, and photos. Yes, a lot of really good stuff could have gone missing.
The headache of trying to rebuild her computer combined with the stress of starting some of the bigger projects from scratch, would for this “smaller entity” been of disaster-like proportions. The time spent trying to rebuild contact lists, emailing people for their copies of this document or that document – really would not have been fun.
Now, Vicki is in the process of investigating off-site back-up methods for her files. She may not be running a multi-national company out of her home, but what she has is valuable for her. And the potential loss of this content is pretty severe to her bottom line. What if her computer had been stolen? Then what? Well, with a bit of planning and consideration of the bigger picture – likely it wouldn’t have been such a big deal. Nope instead it would have been a chance to get a shiny new computer. But the alternative without the backups and file recovery plan would have been pretty darn horrible. Not only did she loose five plus years of content and information, but she also would have had to figure out how to start over.
Something to consider when you’re looking at your disaster recovery plan and business continuity plan – the potential for disaster. It doesn’t have to big – it just has to be there.
About KingsBridge
KingsBridge offers private businesses and government organizations a unique combination of industry knowledge and cost-effective disaster recovery / business continuity solutions. KingsBridge products and seminars provide the tools to assess possible threats and create tailored plans which mitigate risks and minimize losses in the event of a disruption to business. Kingsbridge is headquartered in Ogdensburg, New York, with offices in Ottawa, Canada and Burlington, Vermont. For more information visit us at www.DisasterRecovery.com
Filed under: Knowledge | Tags: business, business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, Continuity of Operations, COOP, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, microsoft, phoenix foundation, Phoenix software, sharepoint
I had a revelation a few weeks back when chatting with a client about potential scenario exercises they could perform to test their recently created DR plan. This client had just contacted me to proudly inform me that they had finally finished their DR plan and during our call I reminded the client that the on-going process with a plan is to ensure that it stays current. I also informed him that holding a few training exercises per year is always a good idea as it keeps the plan relevant in everybody’s mind. Exercises also ensure that the threat responses that were created evolve from being theoretical to tested and usable.
During this conversation I threw out the idea that a fire drill exercise would be a good idea. After hanging up the phone and reflecting on this call I realized that most of us, if not all of us, have been responding to possible disasters since we were kids. I remember being in grade school and having mock fire evacuation drills to ensure that all of the kids knew where the closest exit was and where to go during the fire. The local fire department would visit the school and remind us all of the dangers of a fire and we would run home proud to tell our parents what our family should do during a fire.
A simple example such as this one demonstrates the need for DR planning exercises and also demonstrates the effect that such exercises have on the people involved. That being said I don’t expect businessmen and women to run home and tell the tale of their response exercises to their families, but they will certainly have the event etched in their mind for when the possible disaster does in fact strike.
About KingsBridge
KingsBridge offers private businesses and government organizations a unique combination of industry knowledge and cost-effective disaster recovery / business continuity solutions. KingsBridge products and seminars provide the tools to assess possible threats and create tailored plans which mitigate risks and minimize losses in the event of a disruption to business. Kingsbridge is headquartered in Ogdensburg, New York, with offices in Ottawa, Canada and Burlington, Vermont. For more information visit us at www.DisasterRecovery.com
Filed under: Knowledge, Uncategorized | Tags: business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, COOP, disaster, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, phoenix foundation, Phoenix software, sharepoint, software
When you think of disaster what do you think of? Chances are you put flood, massive power outage, fire, and pandemic at the top of your list. These are all events that really we can’t control – the hurricanes are going to happen, the power does go out, fires happen sometimes due to human error, and health crisis are still one of the large mysteries of life. So for these events that may or may not happen, you understand the need to have a disaster recovery and business continuity plan. Since you’re reading this blog post, I assume you have such a DR/BCP in place to keep your business working efficiently when “disaster” strikes.
But what about smaller seemingly less risk business interruptions? One that comes to mind and is in the news again – disrupted travel plans. The impact from the April 13 eruption of a volcano on Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull glacier was felt worldwide. We all know someone, perhaps even you, who had to shuffle travel plans or worse yet was stranded in an airport with no chance of making it home or to that all-important business meeting. For the first few days of airport closures, people were taking things in stride, you adjusted your meetings pushing them ahead a few days, convinced that you’d be on your way soon enough.
Then the delays continued. Airports through-out Europe remained closed. You or your business partners were trapped. Slowly but surely, things are getting a bit stressful. Meetings have been canceled. Potential business deals are falling through. There is only so much business you can conduct over Skype and with your laptop in an airport…
So after considering this, would you now add airport closures and flight delays to your list of disasters? The impacts are pretty darn similar to a hurricane or fire – you can’t travel, you’ve missed meetings, business deals are getting pushed aside, there is a slight level of chaos in you office. All this to say that when you think about DR/BCP you need to think beyond the big picture. You need to really look at your business – how do you make your money? What technologies (yes air travel is part of the technology sphere) do you rely on? How are you going to keep running making money and closing deals when these technologies are impaired?
All this to say that when it comes time to do your semi-annual analysis of your DR/BCP strategy – be sure to remember April and May 2010. The lessons learned during these two months can come in very handy when making adjustments to your plans and working with qualified DR/BCP consultants to ensure that when disaster strikes, you’re ready.
About KingsBridge
KingsBridge offers private businesses and government organizations a unique combination of industry knowledge and cost-effective disaster recovery / business continuity solutions. KingsBridge products and seminars provide the tools to assess possible threats and create tailored plans which mitigate risks and minimize losses in the event of a disruption to business. Kingsbridge is headquartered in Ogdensburg, New York, with offices in Ottawa, Canada and Burlington, Vermont. For more information visit us at www.DisasterRecovery.com
Filed under: software | Tags: business, business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, Continuity of Operations, COOP, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, foundation, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, microsoft, phoenix foundation, sharepoint
It has taken some time and a few more meetings than you’d like to remember, but you’ve done it. You’ve secured the budget needed to actually get your company set up with a proven Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan. But now what? You’ve promised the “powers that be” that you can deliver a DR implementation quickly, easily and seamlessly. And you cannot go over budget.
Well, take a look at your existing corporate infrastructure. What software tools are you currently using? How skilled are team members at learning a new piece of software? And don’t forget the deal-maker – “must be simple and on budget”. Chances are if you’re like many of the companies we do business with, you’re running a large chunk of Microsoft software. In fact pretty strong chance that you’re already using Microsoft SharePoint to collaboratively manage task and information within your organization.
Your co-workers are fully invested in Microsoft SharePoint and really appreciate the way this robust piece of software allows everyone to work in a web-based environment. Best of all, people are using the software. (Unlike some other pieces of software sitting on your server that staff just can’t or won’t use….) But how does this fit with KingsBridge and the DR and BCP space? Well, the good news is, KingsBridge has the perfect solution for you.
At this spring’s Disaster Recovery Journal conference, we debuted two versions of Phoenix Foundation: Phoenix Foundation WSS and Phoenix Foundation MOSS. With this latest release, we have brought DR and BCP software to the Microsoft SharePoint space. Ah, now you see it – you can use Phoenix Foundation within your existing Microsoft SharePoint environment… Allowing you to seamlessly deliver an on-budget and easy-to-use DR and BCP tool.
Here are the details you need about Phoenix Foundation WSS:
- is built to integrate directly into your existing Microsoft WSS environment
- leverages calendars, RSS feeds, Team Assignment Gantt charts, Team discussion boards and much more
And here is what you need to know about Phoenix Foundation MOSS:
- is designed to take full advantage of Microsoft SharePoint
- builds on the features of Phoenix Foundation WSS for advanced team collaboration within your Microsoft MOSS environment
Now to really wow your bosses and to dazzle your fellow co-workers, book a boardroom, tell them about Phoenix Foundation and show them this demo on our YouTube channel. See how easy this is? You’ve got an on-budget, seamless, and proven DR and BCP solution for your company in a matter of minutes. Kind of cuts to the heart of the KingsBridge philosophy of keeping DR and BCP easy-to-use, universal, and effective.
Now, that you’ve had such a successful morning at work, take a long lunch and maybe cut out early this afternoon. Go ahead, you deserve it…
About KingsBridge
KingsBridge offers private businesses and government organizations a unique combination of industry knowledge and cost-effective disaster recovery / business continuity solutions. KingsBridge products and seminars provide the tools to assess possible threats and create tailored plans which mitigate risks and minimize losses in the event of a disruption to business. Kingsbridge is headquartered in Ogdensburg, New York, with offices in Ottawa, Canada and Burlington, Vermont. For more information visit us at www.DisasterRecovery.com
