KingsBridge Blog

What a week it has been – and its only Wednesday. The news reports have been filled with reports of WikiLeaks scandals, bombings in Sweden, massive snow storms in Ontario, the latest release of diseases that pose a threat to everyday people, and lets not forget the lay-offs of 600 employees at Yahoo. Not really feeling the holiday spirit these days when we browse news sites or listen to the news.

All of these events that have highlighted our daily news feeds for the last few days really all have one underlying message: it is so very important to be prepared. You just really never know what is going to happen. More often than not we (yes, I’m including myself here….) live in a little bubble. We believe that we are safe from the problems, disasters, miscues and troubles affecting others around the world. How many times have you read a news story about a tragedy or disaster and though “thank goodness that will never happen to me”?

Well, not to be too blunt here, but it is time to wake up and pay attention to what is going on around you. We’re 10 days away from Christmas and our newspapers are filled with stories of disasters and impending disasters. What if you were one of the hundreds of people stranded in your car on a snow-filled highway – would you have been prepared? From reading the stories, some motorists were well prepared with emergency kits safely stowed in their cars that included food, water, batteries, flashlights, and extra blankets. Then there was the guy who only wearing a sweatshirt and jeans and he had less than half a tank of gas – yes, he was very very cold by the time he was rescued. What about the security of your network – over the Christmas and New Year period, chances are there will be less people in your office – how are you going to be sure that the network is running at 100 per cent and that it hasn’t been threatened? Sneezing much lately? Yep – it is that time of the year again and a recent report has revealed that we’re still very much at risk of catching a flu or cold that could be serious enough to put us in the hospital. I bet you’re glad you don’t or didn’t work at Yahoo!. Imagine getting laid off from your job only 10 days before Christmas…. Laid off from a company that we all believed to be stable and a “good place to work”. I wonder if those laid off employees were prepared with a savings fund and a back-up plan in the event of job loss.

All this to say, we can’t get too comfortable. Really you never know what is around the corner so it is crucial to be prepared for the worst case scenarios. No we’re not alarmists, but we don’t want to get caught out and we don’t want you to either. Small things such as putting together an emergency car kit, running a threat risk analysis at your office, making sure you have the latest flu shot that is available, and having some money put away in the event of a job loss or other threat. It really does pay to be prepared.

Bottom line – protect yourself, protect your home, and protect your business. Yes, this takes time and in some instances a bit of work – but the end result is that you will be ready for any threat or risk to yourself, your family or your business. Lets face it – it is 10 days before Christmas and not one of us has the time to spend picking up the pieces from a disaster or threat that we could have easily prepared for.

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.