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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