Filed under: Knowledge, software | Tags: business, business continuity, business disaster, business impact analysis, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, disaster recovery software, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, Phoenix software, software
We’ve all seen them… The new companies that appear seemingly out of nowhere. Often these companies have fancy marketing material, a snazzy logo, a few fast-talking sales staff, and typically an energetic and keen staff working behind the scenes. Everything ticks along nicely, the company is getting noticed and even making some sales. The board is happy, the sales staff are confident, and the team is focused on growth and new opportunities. This company looks like it is going to succeed – put a checkmark in the win column.
But then as quickly as the company appeared on our radar, it’s gone. The website is still active but emails are not answered, the sales staff aren’t answering their phones, and the energetic staff doesn’t appear to be so energetic anymore. Hmm, strange that such a successful company that was making money and a name for itself simply closed its doors and shut down. You chalk this up to the current economic situation or even perhaps to bad management.
But what if this company isn’t really dead? Look at the signs – no one answering the phones, emails not being answered – but the website is still live. Strange that if the company has indeed closed its doors that the website is still live… After some investigating by some curious business-watchers, it turns out that to put it quite simply: this company wasn’t prepared.
That’s right – this hot young company who appeared on paper and in person to be doing everything right, neglected to pay attention to one key component of good business: being prepared. Confidence and success convinced the IT manager, the board of directors, and management team that they were doing everything right. But they forgot to consider a couple of key things:
- What if our servers go down? How will we keep hosting the software that our customers rely on?
- What if the power goes out? How will we guarantee that our 24/7 support is available?
- What if employees can’t get into the office due to weather or family emergencies? How will the work get done and the vital sales demos be delivered?
That’s right, this company simply did not consider the things that could go wrong. All too often when business is good and the bank account is growing, no one ever takes the time to think about the “bad stuff”. Unfortunately for this company, this is exactly what happened. Call it over-confidence if you want, but really it comes down to poor management and decision-making. A power outage, a tough winter that featured an ice storm, and unstable servers, all resulted in the company being forced to close its doors.
All it took was three separate incidents that alone perhaps wouldn’t be considered to be serious. But when in one year, this company was threatened three times, it simply became too much. Sales started to drop, productivity was behind, and the board became frustrated – investors pulled out and the company quietly closed its doors.
If only this company had followed advice and initiated Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning. The three incidents would have been just that – incidents. They wouldn’t have turned into threats and eventually forced this company to close. Staff would have been prepared and equipped to work from home, back-up power generators would have been purchased, and the pesky and unstable server software issues would have been addressed. (The only reason the website is still live is because it was hosted off-site…)
What does this mean for you? Well, hopefully you’ll take a hard look at your business – are you equipped and prepared in the event of a threat or disaster? Remember the disaster doesn’t need to be “huge” – it simply needs to be something that causes an interruption in your ability to get the job done. How many of these interruptions can your bottom line sustain? Do you have a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan in place? Perhaps it is time to stop operating by the seat of your pants….
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: 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: Uncategorized | Tags: business, business continuity, business continuity software, business disaster, business impact analysis, Continuity of Operations, disaster preparation, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, Phoenix online, Phoenix software, Saas, software, swine flu education
In addition to an online Threat Risk and Business Impact Analysis tool, we are working on a repository for your Phoenix generated plans online!! Side Note: We have been asked for a hosted planning tool for several years, but due to technical restrictions with the internet and Microsoft, we aren’t able to integrate Microsoft Office with an online tool. To date, our customers (you) have told us they would rather have the ability to edit in Microsoft Word, than have a hosted solution. But we have also been asked to make the plans available online (once they are completed) and we have responded. Currently this feature is in Beta, if you would like to have an input on how it works, please let us know and we’ll be in touch. We are very excited about this new feature as it will make accessing your plan anywhere that much easier and faster.
Filed under: Knowledge | Tags: business, business continuity, business disaster, disaster, disaster preparation, disaster recovery, software, swine flu
It happens every year at the same time and with the weather being unpredictable as it is, you would think that we would know how to weather any storm. Just like with hurricanes, our business continuity/disaster recovery plans are susceptible to the storms that might happen in the day-to-day running of our businesses.
Are you watching the forecast?
We all know the importance of planning. We spend countless hours preparing for that long awaited family trip to the beach or trip of your dreams to some exotic destination. When it comes to your business continuity/disaster recovery plan do we need to be as diligent? When you are planning for the next project, proposal, new client meeting, are you asking yourself, will this affect my plan? Are you setting time aside on a regular basis to review and make revisions to your plan? If not, start now!
Are you changing your way to navigate the storm?
Now you are focused and aware of how changes affect your plan, are you making changes to keep your plan up-to-date? Are you looking at ways to simplify your plan? Often, we make changes to our business to take advantage of new technology, are you doing the same for your plan?
Can you survive the unpredicted?
Sometimes it’s not the hurricane that will stop us in our tracks, it can be something simple. Does your plan provide for the basics? What would happen if you went to the office in the morning and you had no power? What happens if the receptionist spills coffee on the switchboard? Can your clients call? Does your plan provide for the basics?
What will it cost you?
Can your business survive a storm that puts you out of your office? What if you lose your client database? Can you afford to be shutdown for 1 day, 3 days or 1 week? Do you know the number associated with even one day of business interruption?
Knowing the cost, makes planning more realistic. In our current economy can you afford to be down at all? Your plan becomes your road map and insurance policy to making sure your business with survive the next “hurricane”.
