Beware of depending on Third Party Services to assure your daily business and recovery

By Howard ‘Coach’ Pierpont More organizations are outsourcing portions of their operations these days. Concentrating on the core competency for the organization makes sense in many cases. This allows for the streamlining of internal operations while maximizing the non-core section by utilizing best in class third parties. The people making the decision to go with a third party need to completely define the statement of work [SOW] and assure that whoever gets the contract follows the SOW. Let me give you an example of a system that was implemented and appeared to be working. At least there was money coming in. I went to a supplier...

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Recovery: Least Understood of the Continuity Lifecycle Elements

The post-crisis recovery phase is one of the least addressed in planning, training and simulations.  This is an area that, if not properly managed, can cost financially, reputationally and operationally.  Communications, internal and external are, at best, misjudged.  Guidelines for recovery are lacking and most entities lose focus when it comes to discussing recovery operations.  It may be that recovery is one of the most complicated of the lifecycle elements and that no two recoveries are going to follow the same pattern.  However, the recovery process can be segmented into manageable bits that can be undertaken...

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Tackling the Business Impact Analysis

A new business continuity analyst will need to create and/or update the organization's Business Impact Analysis (BIA). If this is a task that is new to the organization, then the analyst will need to scope the document and set out the definitions that will be used. Ideally the entire organization will be represented in one or more BIAs. The analyst should present to the sponsoring executive the plan for accomplishing the BIAs. The analyst will need to: a) describe the objectives of the BIA, b) show that the focus will be on the business processes, c) introduce the concepts and terminology such as (RTO), and d) identify the...

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BS ISO 22301 in 17 Easy Steps

I normally shy away from long blog posts, but this one is critical if you are considering getting your business continuity program certified.  BS ISO 22301 seems very hard to implement at first, but if you understand the requirements of the standard, it becomes very clear, almost too easy to implement across the organization. There are only a handful of organization worldwide that have been certified in BS ISO 22301.  Right now is a great time to get on the certification calendar be one of those organizations who set the gold standard in Business Continuity. Below are the 17 steps you will need to do reach program certification. Step...

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7 other Uses For The Tabletop Exercise

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on 4 other uses for the tabletop exercise.  You can read it here. Several people have added their suggestions and I wanted to gather their ideas in one post. There are certainly several other uses for the tabletop exercise.  What do you use them for? Below is a video that offers some suggestions. Mike Minzes is the Founder and CEO of INEVOLVE SB, a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning and Implementation company located in Kennesaw, Georgia. Mike has over 20 years of experience in the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Industry. For more information on INEVOLVE SB, please visit...

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Do-it-yourself Business Continuity for small businesses

DIY Projects.  There are do-it-yourself projects for just about anything under the sun.  If you get the parts and materials, there are videos or walk-throughs that can show you how to build just about anything. So it isn’t any surprise to me that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a little known DIY project designed help businesses and organizations develop and implement Business Continuity. The Business Continuity Planning Suite is a FREE toolset provided by FEMA for developing and implementing Business Continuity in any size organization or across any agency.  It can be downloaded from the FEMA website...

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"Counting the costs, and benefits, for Business Continuity – a U.S. Consultant’s perspective"

By Geary Sikich . Introduction When I was asked to write this article for Business Continuity Awareness Week (BCAW) a caveat was given that this must actually be my position (they stated that they are not looking for a BC practitioner to offer what they believe is a CFO perspective). So, with that caveat in mind, here is my position on counting costs and benefits for business continuity. How does one define the costs, benefits and intangible value of business continuity? Do we apply standard arguments, such as Return On Investment (ROI)? Or, do we embrace a definition that is vague and can mean whatever a person wishes it to mean? Let...

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4 Other Uses For Tabletop Exercising Other Than Scenario-Based Testing

Exercising is perhaps the most important part of a Business Continuity Program.  Once all of the plans have been developed, exercising helps validate that they are actionable and helps identify gaps in recovery and/or sustainment of critical services.  Traditional tabletop exercises have a script that the facilitator follows and the Business Continuity Team determines that best course of action. But not all tabletop exercises have to be created equal.  The tabletop exercise can be used as much as an information gathering tool as a scenario-based test. Here are 4 additional uses to conduct Tabletop Exercises often for...

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The reality of the events in Atlanta Georgia on January 28, 2014 (Snow Storm)

There has been so much speculation and finger pointing pertaining to the events that occurred in the Atlanta Metro Area related to the snow storm that occurred on January 28, 2014. It is necessary to explain now things transpired as they did from someone who dealt with it first hand. I left my office at 4:00 PM that afternoon and what would normally be a 45 minute drive, turned into a 7 hour ordeal. I saw firsthand why the situation got out of control as quickly as it did. Below are my observations and experiences. You are welcome to come to your own conclusions. 1) The National Weather Service may claim that they knew the storm had...

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The Core Documents of Business Continuity Planning – Getting Started

By Tom Ryan Congratulations!  You've just landed a job or assignment in the Business Continuity department for your company and its time to get started.  As you navigate the though the issues, it is important to remember the mission is to reduce risk to the organization by minimizing the impact of a disruptive event.   To do this you will rely on many members of the organization, from senior management to the mailroom.  There are several core documents to be developed and revised over the course your business continuity career.  They are the Business Impact Analysis (BIA), the Risk Assessment, the Business...

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The Story of Widgets, Inc

Once upon a time there was a wildly successful company called Widgets, Inc.  They made widgets, of course.  They design them, mass produce them in their own manufacturing centers and ship them using their own fleet of Widget, Inc trucks to Widget stores for sale to consumer. They also provided after market support to the customers who purchase widgets at their retail stores and through their on-line eCommerce website. One morning, the CEO called a meeting to ask some questions about Business Continuity.  He had questions about how he could bring Business Continuity to Widgets, Inc. The story continues here: Mike Minzes...

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15 Planning and Preparedness Quotes From Master's in Their Professions

Planning and preparedness are things that every professional in every industry who is, or has been very successful or masterful at what they do makes a priority.  They are proof that planning and preparation begets success.  But it is also the way we think as much as it is the way we act. Preparing and planning is more than just writing down a goal or two and posting them on a wall. Knowing how to get where your are going, anticipating obstacles along the way, how to overcome them if they happen and how to deal with the angst that setbacks can bring all dictate when and how success comes, or even if it does...

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