Filed under: Knowledge, software | Tags: disaster recovery, disaster preparation, business disaster, disaster recovery software, business continuity software, Phoenix software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, COOP, Continuity of Operations, business impact analysis
In every company there are decision-makers and decision-influencers. Often it is the decision-influencers who see the need for the service/solution and who work to convince the decision-makers to agree and sign the contract.
So, how does this apply when making decisions about your disaster recovery and business continuity plans? What is the normal process for your organization when making decisions that will have a large impact on the longevity and success of your company?
Typically, most companies see the disaster recovery and business continuity plans falling into the responsibility of the information technology department. While ultimately, the IT department will be responsible for installing and managing your business continuity/disaster recovery software solution, who really makes the decision on this purchase? Are the disaster recovery and business continuity plans an IT issue or are they a company-wide issue?
In our experience, often companies approach this as an IT issue but as we discus the overall impact of the threats, what was an IT issue quickly becomes a company-wide issue. When we do our jobs correctly and thoroughly explain how a threat such as a flood or power outage can have an overwhelmingly negative impact on the company’s bottom-line and ability to survive, the decision-makers and decision-influencers are suddenly on the same page. With everyone realizing that business continuity and disaster recovery are not simply IT issues.
Really the person we want to talk to is the Chief Financial Officer. This is the person who can clearly see and appreciate the impact a disaster can have on the company. The CFO and really the entire management of the company should have disaster recovery and business continuity front and center on their “to do” lists. The trick is getting these key decision-makers to understand that a threat (no matter how small it appears) can and will affect the bottom-line.
So, where does this leave you?
If you’re a decision-maker – what are you waiting for? Call a meeting, get your CFO and managers in a room and find out what the status is with your disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
If you’re a decision-influencer – email the link to this blog post to your company’s decision-makers. Remind them that downtime results in missed sales, productivity, and potentially even bigger disasters.
To make it even easier for you (decision-makers and decision-influencers), here is our phone number: 1.888.246.6642. Make the smart decision – pick up the phone and call us.
About KingsBridge
KingsBridge is a Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity company specializing in Software, Seminars and Consulting. If you are looking for a Microsoft Office integrated recovery planning tool, Phoenix is not only an excellent tool, but the only completely integrated planning tool. Our seminars (online and in-house) are some of the longest running seminars in the recovery business. KingsBridge uses turn-key consulting for those who need the plan done, right the first time. For more information about KingsBridge, checkout www.disasterrecovery.com.
Filed under: Knowledge, software | Tags: disaster recovery, business continuity, disaster preparation, business disaster, business, disaster recovery software, business continuity software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, COOP, Continuity of Operations
You’ve done everything right:
- You have a plan
- You have tested and verified your plan
- You’ve trained your team members
- You have maintained your plan
Disaster strikes! Now what? You know you’re prepared, but still there is some nervousness and uncertainty. You can relax knowing that your disaster recovery plan is working for you, but it is still essential to keep in mind the following life lessons:
Do Not Panic
Panic is the one thing that can cause your well-prepared plan to fail. The difference between a disaster that results in failure and one that results in continuity success is often how well teams control panic. Well-trained teams can recover from even the most serious incidents provided they remain calm and in control.
There is no one cause of panic. It usually comes from small problems that grow. So long as everything rolls along smoothly, people are pretty good at adjusting. But as soon as things begin to unravel, there is a strong likelihood that it will only take a small change to cause chaos and panic. With this comes the abandonment of rational thought, and this is when we see companies forgetting about their disaster recovery plans and operating in a completely reactive situation.
This will not work. Remember the number one rule: do not panic. Trust in your disaster recovery plan and the preparations you did to ensure it would work in such a situation.
Watch Out For Murphy
Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Poor planning, inadequate training, and poorly maintained safety and response gear are invitations for Murphy to appear.
What can you do to prevent Murphy’s Law from ringing true? Ensure your team is up-to-date with the latest disaster recovery plan, remember to maintain this plan, and be sure to have your necessary hardware working and fully operational.
By doing these little things, you can keep Murphy away, and breathe easy. Remember a successful disaster recovery plan only works if you do your part in the maintenance of the plan, your team, and your essential equipment.
Practice Makes Perfect
We’ve all heard the mantra that practice makes perfect. Well it couldn’t be more true than in a disaster scenario. The more you practice your plan, making sure team members know how to respond, the more likely things will operate smoothly.
Think about the things that could happen and practice ways to counteract or to respond to them. What would you do if you get separated from others in your unit during an evacuation? What would you do if the building were completely dark during the exit? What would you do if the emergency responders are delayed in arriving and you are informed that there are still people unaccounted for and maybe still in the building? (Remember to build these scenarios into your disaster recovery plan….)
Practicing these will quickly turn the situation from disaster to recovery.
Fix the Little Things
Pay attention to detail. Even the smallest mistake or misstep can quickly add up to bigger problems. All of a sudden your carefully thought out disaster recovery plan is not working because you let some small mistakes slip in.
If this does happen, act quickly, identify the problem, respond to the problem, and get back on track with your disaster recovery plan.
Pay Attention
Remember the safety briefings we receive before each airplane flight? Yes, they seem kind of boring and repetitive, but these seemingly tedious briefings can be the difference between successfully surviving an accident or not.
Same goes for the training and briefings you provide to your team. It is critical that team members are listening and paying attention to the disaster recovery training. We know this is easier said than done, but if done in a cohesive team environment where you can get everyone involved, you might find that your team recognizes why it is so important to be prepared for any disaster or threat – no matter how big or small it seems.
Be Equipped
As part of your plan development, get the safety and emergency gear needed for your response teams. This includes items such as fire extinguishers, first aid kits, AED defibrillators, protective clothing, gloves, fluorescent bibs, flashlights, water, whistles, stretchers, stair chairs, communication devices (two-way radios, cell phones, etc.), bull horns, etc.
Be Responsible For Your Safety
Remember, that ultimately we are all responsible for own safety. Train your staff to recognize this. Teach them that no one else can think for them or plan for them and nobody else can save them when they fail to be prepared. Show them to take responsibility for their own actions and be prepared to deal with problems that may occur.
Remember the Lessons
So there you have it, some basic life lessons that really do apply to disaster recovery and business continuity planning. Only make sense – doesn’t it. The lessons that apply to our day-to-day life are the ones that ensure a successful response to a disaster.
Remember these lessons and smoothly and effortlessly turn disaster into recovery.
About KingsBridge
KingsBridge is a Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity company specializing in Software, Seminars and Consulting. If you are looking for a Microsoft Office integrated recovery planning tool, Phoenix is not only an excellent tool, but the only completely integrated planning tool. Our seminars (online and in-house) are some of the longest running seminars in the recovery business. KingsBridge uses turn-key consulting for those who need the plan done, right the first time. For more information about KingsBridge, checkout www.disasterrecovery.com
Filed under: Knowledge, software | Tags: business continuity, business continuity software, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, COOP, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, Phoenix software
Thankfully, more and more businesses are recognizing the need for business continuity plans (BCP) and disaster recovery plans (DR). This means that more companies, such as yourself actually have BCP and DR plans.
But it also means that your clients and potential clients are aware of the need for such plans… So what do you do when a potential or existing client asks to see your BCP or DR plan? Is this information private internal material or should it be made “public”?
Private or Public?
This is a tough situation to be in. On one hand, you’re lucky that you’re prepared and have considered how your company will react, survive, and maintain continuity of operations in the face of disaster or disruption. Being prepared such as you are has actually become a marketing and sales tool. When you need to differentiate your company from your competitors, you can speak about your BCP and DR plans – highlighting how you can guarantee continued service, product, and business relations in the event of a disaster. But on the flipside, often these plans involve private internal data that really is not for external knowledge.
This decision really is up to you but there are a few measures you can take to ensure that all parties are happy and protected:
- Non-Disclosure Agreement – the client should sign such a document before seeing your plans
- Excerpt the plan – you don’t need to show your client the full plan. Rather excerpt it and highlight the key points that emphasize how you are prepared
- Table of Contents only – showing your client the table of contents is an excellent overview of your plan and gives you some easy talking points
- FAQ – prepare an list of questions and answers for the client that address how you handle specific situations
- Contact Information – give the client a reliable set of contact information. This way if something does happy, the client has peace of mind of knowing that he can contact you when he needs to
The Client
Of course this brings up an interesting question – what about the client? Is your client prepared with a BCP and DR plan? It is worth asking this question as well… Remember, business is a two-way street – you need to guarantee continued service but you also want assurances of a consistent revenue stream.
If you’re prepared, but your client isn’t, now you’re the one left without knowing if in the event of a disaster, your client will be able to maintain business, continue to generate revenue and in turn pay invoices and continue to be a revenue for you.
So when a client asks for your BCP or DR plan, be sure to do the same of your client. Both of you can rest easy at night knowing that you’re working with reliable and forward-thinking businesses. Being prepared goes a long way in protecting your business and confirming to outside eyes that you’re here to stay for the long-term.
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, software | Tags: business, business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, COOP, disaster preparation, disaster recovery software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, swine flu education
Like any niche business, this one of Disaster Recovery Planning and Business Continuity Planning has its own jargon and terminology. Often for people new to thinking about and considering how their company can be best protected in the event of a disaster, this jargon becomes overwhelming.
So to help clear the air and keep things simple, lets review some of the key terms of our industry – hopefully making it easier for you to discuss Disaster Recovery Planning and Business Continuity Planning with your colleagues.
Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP): refers to the recovery of IT services following a major hit or service interruption.
Business Recovery Planning (BRP): a superset of DRP and refers to the recovery of IT and all other aspects of the business. This includes everything from finance to administration to engineering to manufacturing.
Business Continuity Planning (BCP): includes BRP and highlights vulnerabilities that might cause losses to your business and plans for the continued conduct of your business. These vulnerabilities can include things such as poor security procedures following a disaster or the lack of effective backup procedures.
Emergency Response Planning (ERP): includes all aspects of DRP, BRP, and BCP but adds evacuation planning, medical aid, and security issues.
Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP): refers to the preparations and institutions maintained by the United States government to ensure survival of federal government operations in the case of a catastrophic event.
This is a brief primer of some of the key terminology that is integral to understanding how you need to prepare your business in the event of a disaster. By clearly understanding this basic terminology, you are ready to take the next step and start considering how to best approach protecting your business.
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, software | Tags: business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, swine flu education
Is the sky falling? Or are we over sensitive?
June 23rd 2010 is a date that for some will remain an important day, but for most of us, it was just another day. On this day, there was a 5.0 magnitude earthquake in the North East of North America. If you live in an area that experiences these types of tremors on a regular basis, you’re probably giggling at the near hysterical response that did occur… If you live in the North East, you experienced a one in 500 year phenomena!
How does this relate to Business Continuity?
Was this an incident? Yes.
Or was it a disaster? Hardly.
Ottawa, the largest city in the center of the earthquake, suffered slight damage with some windows breaking and cracks in the foundation of some buildings. So, this would definitely class itself as an incident, not a disaster. However, the response from many of the residents and businesses was one of major catastrophe. Most building evacuated in downtown Ottawa, which is against the established steps of “Stop, drop, hold”:
If you are indoors: “DROP, COVER, HOLD”
▪ Stay inside.
▪ Drop under heavy furniture such as a table, desk, bed or any solid furniture.
▪ Cover your head and torso to prevent being hit by falling objects.
▪ Hold onto the object that you are under so that you remain covered.
How does this impact my Emergency Response Planning (Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery or COOP)?
All incidents are a chance to take and learn lessons – this is no different.
“Should we have an earthquake response in our plan?” This depends on the likelihood of another one coming. When you did your Threat Risk Analysis (TRA) you most likely looked at the statistics and considered the likelihood of an earthquake in your region. In the North East at least, the odds of having another earthquake of similar magnitude is less than 2% and according to Scientist John Adams, of the Geological Survey of Canada the earthquake would have to be at least 10 times stronger before any damage would occur to buildings, thus dropping the likelihood to almost zero.
So, to answer the above question of adding similar incidents to your response plans, if you live somewhere that has regular incidents (snow storms, flooding, wild fires, power failures), then yes add these to your response plan. If such occurrences are a one in 500 year incident, survive it, learn from it and be better prepared to ensure it remains an incident and doesn’t turn into a disaster.
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, software | Tags: business continuity, business continuity software, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, Return on Investment
In a word: Yes. Really, you don’t have a choice but to devote budget to business continuity planning.
Admittedly, plans do not come free – but the costs to your business will be much better than the money spent to put a business continuity plan in place.
Why You Need a Plan
- 93% of companies that experience a disaster without a recovery plan close within 5 years. Why? Cash flow. Your insurance will keep you running through your business day, but once the money runs out you better know who your customers are going to be. Without a plan, you have lost your contact list, so you don’t know who owes you money, who is close to signing deals, and whom you’re targeting for future deals. In short, your cash flow has dried up and you have nowhere to turn!
- 50% of companies that lose their critical business systems for more than 10 days never recover. This comes down to brand loyalty. The brand loyalty that we saw a generation ago simply isn’t a constant in today’s business world. If you aren’t open for business, your customers will find someone else. This is the Internet age – it isn’t hard for your customers to find your competitors and quickly and seamlessly give them your business. Are you willing to take that chance with your customers?
- Almost 60% of businesses consider customer services and competitive advantage to be the factors most critical to their company’s survival. With so much advertising and market saturation, it is very expensive to win a new customer to your solution; it is much cheaper to keep your existing customers happy. If you aren’t open for business, or have limited services with no warning, your customers are going to find another solution. We have become an “instant generation”; if you can’t supply a service or product instantly, your customers will find someone else who can.
- For every eight hours of down time, you lose one half of a percentage point of market share (0.5%), and it takes three years to win that market share back! Without a business continuity plan, you won’t have three years…
Convinced? Good, now lets move onto what you need to consider when building your business continuity plan.
Building a Business Continuity Plan
- What is your Recovery Time Objective (RTO)? By what time must you recover? Your RTO determines how much time you have to get everything back up and running. This helps you determine the amount of resources you need to allocate when planning your recovery budget. For many small businesses, it is very important to be the first back in business. This means that, when there is an area-wide disaster, such as a snowstorm or flooding, you need a plan that gets you back in business before your competitors. This shows your clients that you take their needs seriously and are ready to go the extra step to keep them happy. Time is money for you and your clients.
- You have to determine which services are key to your success and how much you will lose (customers, prospects and money) if you don’t have those services available. The services that are crucial to your success have to be back in operation first, but be careful – sometimes the crucial operations aren’t the most obvious ones.
- You have to be prepared to have people go home and wait by the phone. Although they are not generating revenue for you (or helping in the recovery) you know where they are, they’re available when needed and they’re not distracting your core recovery.
While these three factors might seem obvious, when disaster does strike, you will be so swamped with decisions to make that you probably won’t even be able to remember your home phone number.
The Dollars and Sense
We recently worked with a small development company that experiences frequent power outages. They had backup batteries but did not have a generator. Fifty people, most of their staff, cannot continue to work without power. We calculated how much direct salary money they were losing with the power outages. The total cost was $125,000 per year! And that didn’t even include employee benefits, lost sales, and lost profits. This company now has generators and sound business continuity plan to keep them in business when power outages occur.
To calculate a gross dollar-value for how much a disaster could cost you use the KingsBridge Return On Investment (ROI) calculator. The result is the lost revenue per hour. (Yes that’s a pretty big number…)
KingsBridge develops plans that are cost-effective (the savings in insurance premiums often are enough to pay for the plan) and that are a differentiator for you and your competitors. If you can guarantee to your customers that you will be open for business, regardless of the local situation, they are more likely to remain as your customers, more likely to tell others and it is most likely that you will pick up customers when others are facing a disruption of some sort.
Your customers aren’t going to wait for you to return to operations (while their deadlines expire) – they are going to look for a solution that allows them to remain competitive and operating at full capacity. You expect the same from your suppliers, so why should your customers expect less?
Ensure your market share continues to grow, keep your customers happy, keep your investors happy and keep your doors open – put a business continuity plan in place. You really can’t afford not to.
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, software | Tags: 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 foundation, Phoenix online, Phoenix software, software
We need it to be hosted! I don’t trust the security of the Internet! Can I access my plan online?
These are just a few of the questions and objections I hear when talking with clients here at KingsBridge. For the last few years there has been a significant shift in how software and applications are delivered and run – all thanks to the growth of the Internet. This Internet boom has given us access to information at a moments notice as it is being held in the cloud.
It is this shift that motivated us to re-evaluate how we deliver products to our customers.
From our early days in 1985, our flagship Phoenix Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity software has always and only been offered in a local install version. The application resides physically on the hard drive of the computer much like its integrated partner Microsoft Office.
But just like you, we’ve also recognized the power of the Internet and how we can use it to ensure that you have constant and immediate access to your disaster recovery and business continuity plans. After months of development and testing, in February we launched our online version of Phoenix.
The product launch was a big success, with many new and existing customers choosing the online version of Phoenix. But as is normal, we’re still getting many questions about the pros and cons of the online and local install software solutions.
So to help you out, we’ve put together a list of the key considerations you need to make when determining the best way to manage and deliver your disaster recovery planning and business continuity software.
Advantages of the Online Version of Phoenix
- Constant and immediate access to the online version of Phoenix. Assuming you have Internet access, you can quickly and easily access, update, and use your disaster recovery plan.
- Your office truly becomes global. With the online version of Phoenix, you can interact with co-workers wherever they are – you are no longer limited by the “cubicle” walls.
Advantages of the Locally Installed Version of Phoenix
- The software is running independently of the Internet. You can be guaranteed that if you’re in your office and the Internet goes down – you can still access Phoenix and you disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
- Working on a laptop with a locally installed version, gives you the flexibility to access your plans without worrying about Internet access.
In the end both solutions can work, the answer lies within your business environment. Regardless of the path you choose, having a plan and being able to manage it is the deal breaker for your company. Selecting the appropriate tool comes second.
Ultimately, don’t be caught standing in the parking lot of your burning building wondering where your plan is, or worse asking yourself why you didn’t take the time to get a plan in the first place.
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: KingsBridge Train | Tags: business, business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, COOP, cyclo-cross, disaster preparation, disaster recovery software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, Phoenix software, plus 3 networks, tabor, vicki thomas, world championships
For the past three years, KingsBridge has sponsored an Ottawa bike racer. Vicki is a cyclo-cross racer and this past season; she represented Canada and raced at the 2010 World Cyclo-Cross Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic. Some of you were fortunate enough to have met Vicki in our DRJ Spring World booth in Orlando, the rest of you will have to wait until the DRJ Fall World to meet her. Vicki has a website where she writes daily about her training, racing, and life as a bike racer. We thought you’d enjoy reading about her life and seeing the other side of KingsBridge. So in the next few days you will start to see Vicki’s Ottawa Cross blog posts appearing on the KingsBridge blog. But before this happens, we thought you should hear from Vicki herself and let her introduce herself… So without further adieu, here is Vicki….
Wow – with an introduction like that, I’m not really sure where to start! But here goes… Well, as you read, for the past three years, I’ve been very fortunate to be sponsored by KingsBridge. The support that Skip and his staff provide is truly overwhelming – thanks to these guys I’m able to travel to Belgium for the winter months and live like a professional bike racer.
Now, you might be sitting there wondering “what is cyclo-cross”. Cyclo-cross is one of the most difficult forms of bicycle racing. It is a winter sport, with the season starting in late September and ending in mid-February. Woodland trails, open meadows, mud, and short, steep hills are the main features of a cyclo-cross course. Normally the circuit is 2.5-3 km in length, and the race duration is around 40 minutes. Cyclo-cross is also the most popular discipline of bicycle racing in North America. The United States championships are held over four days to accommodate racers and fans. In Europe, spectators arrive upwards of four hours early and will pay 20 dollars to watch the race.
So, this is what I do. I race my bike in the cold winter months through mud, sand, rain, snow, and ice. And I love it! There is nothing quite like a cyclo-cross race. The races are short at 40 minutes so every minute is pretty darn action-packed. Throw in 20,000 spectators at a typical race in Europe and you’ve got a very exciting atmosphere.
I’m based in Belgium from November to February where I focus solely on racing and training for cyclo-cross. Being in Belgium allows me to compete on the European elite circuit and the World Cup circuit. My goal this season is to once again represent Canada at the 2011 World Cyclo-Cross Championships in St. Wendel, Germany. To get there I spend a lot of time out riding my road bike (to get in base miles and fitness), my mountain bike (to work on technical skills), and my cyclo-cross bike (to work on cyclo-cross specific skills).
To keep my sponsors, fans, and family up-to-date, I created Ottawa Cross as a way to let everyone know what is going on. During the off-season, I typically write about my training, goals for the year, and general musings on the bike racer life. During the race season, I write race reports, updates on training and recovering, and pretty much anything else that is going on. I try to be honest as possible on my website – I don’t believe in sugar-coating things. If things are going great – then you’ll know about it. If things are going not-so-great – then you’ll know about it!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading about my bike racing life. Enjoy the ride and please don’t be shy to comment on my blog posts – I love getting feedback and finding out who is reading.
Filed under: Knowledge | Tags: BP oil spill, business, business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, Continuity of Operations, COOP, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, gulf oil spill, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, sharepoint
The Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a horrible natural disaster that the area might never recover from… This much is known. So many people have asked why we haven’t written anything on our blog about it and why we aren’t using it when it comes to business interruption scenarios. The answer is simple, it is such a massive incident that most people can’t wrap their heads around it and would simply say “we aren’t a petroleum company, so it doesn’t apply”. While that is true, I was reading an article today on the fact that BP share prices have dropped for the second day in a row. Half way down this article, there is a perfect Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery piece that ties back to handling the media that has been written about here and here. Read the following and see how it all ties together:
On the corporate front, BP shareholders would prefer to sacrifice the company’s Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg rather than CEO Hayward over the ongoing crisis, the Times of London reported in its Wednesday edition.
Citing an unidentified person close to the British company, the Times said shareholders had more confidence in Hayward’s ability to supervise BP’s response to the crisis than Svanberg, who has been largely invisible.
“The mood within the company and among shareholders is clear — they are supportive of Tony, who they feel has done his best in a very bad situation, but they are unimpressed by Svanberg,” the London newspaper reported the person as saying.
A BP spokesman dismissed the claims that former Ericsson boss Svanberg, who took over the role of chairman in January, would consider stepping down.
All of this is taking place against the backdrop of rising public anger and an unfolding ecological catastrophe.
This means, that not only will BP loose an immense amount of money, but they might also loose their Chairman during the darkest hours of their existence. This leads to managing public perception and ensuring you (or your company) don’t fall prey to the hounds in the media. You will notice that during this excerpt, there is no mention of “who” was decided to be the face of the issue, no mention of “why” the CEO would speak instead of the Chairman and now “an unidentified person” is kicking the Chairman to the curb.
How does this impact my company?
When you are doing your planning (or recovery), make sure your highest-ranking official is either the face of the incident or clearly state what they are doing to save the company (running operations, meeting with shareholders, meeting with clients/suppliers). It is very likely the Chairman Svanberg is a better business person and will be better for running the recovery of BP. If they are largely “invisible” as mentioned above, they and possibly your company will meet the same fate.
For the full article read more at: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/shares+tumble+government+probes+Gulf+spill/3131036/story.html#ixzz0qNGWPOd7
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, 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
