Planning & Management Nuggets
The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP)
Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, a dedicated group of public and private sector organizations established an "association of associations and agencies," a partnership, to collaborate on issues related to the security of the nation's built environment. www.tisp.org/related
Are We Prepared
for the Unpredictable? How Financial Institutions Have Responded
Since September 11th
Two years after September 11, the resiliency of financial services
institutions varies widely. This report analyzes the progress that
financial institutions have made since September 11. www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/dtt_financialservices_unpredictable_191203.pdf
The 2003 Global Security
Survey
The global security survey includes the results from interviews
with 80 senior IT executives. www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/Global%20Security%20Survey%202003.pdf
KPMG and EIU Release
Second Corporate Governance White Paper
For the second consecutive year, KPMG International has collaborated
on research with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) on what business
leaders and senior executives think of corporate governance, transparency
and regulations. This white paper argues not. Corporate governance
is still a front-burner issue for senior executives. Companies remain
focused on corporate governance reform - in a survey of more than
300 senior managers around the world, executives reported that top
management is spending more time on corporate governance now and
will be devoting even more attention to the issue in future. www.kpmg.com/Rut2000_prod/Documents/9/KPMG_governance2_final.pdf
Business Impact Analysis
This excellent article by W J Meredith FBCI of Meredith Solutions
provides a comprehensive look at the various components of a business
impact analysis. Those components include the financial and operational
impacts, the impact profile, recovery, losses, alternative procedures,
computer access, continuity and recovery requirements, inter-dependencies,
the BIA Report and Risk Analysis. www.continuitycentral.com/bcibia.htm
BCM Self-Assessment Tool
ContinuityCentral has posted a valuable 20 question self-assessment
tool. The tool is aimed at enabling CFOs, financial controllers
and auditors to assess the state of business continuity management
in their organisations. It has been written by Michael Gallagher
and was first published in a recent issue of Accountancy Ireland,
the Journal of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.
Click
Here to download the self-assessment tool (PDF).
www.continuitycentral.com/feature062.htm
Outsourcing -
The Business Continuity Implications
ContinutyCentral has posted an article in which Russell Flower considers
how business continuity managers keep control of the risks in an
outsourcing environment. www.continuitycentral.com/feature046.htm
Succession Planning:
Still Broken
Why Many Companies Aren't Getting It Right.
Despite the enormous amount of attention devoted to succession planning,
it is increasingly obvious that there is a dearth of corporate "bench
strength." To link to the article by Roger M. Kenny, visit www.chiefexecutive.net/depts/thoughtleader/195.htm
From Contingency Planning & Management
Business
+ IT = Resilience
Proactive Strategies to Position and Protect Your Organization As
practitioners in the industry, we all understand the importance
of a disaster recovery plan and why we need to maintain continuity
of operations, but what does it mean to be resilient?
Mission-Critical
Strategies for Business and Government
An ongoing report by CPM focuses on the intersection of business
continuity, physical and information security, and emergency management.
www.contingencyplanning.com/PastIssues/julaug2003/2.asp
Business
Continuity - Is This a Profession?
Part three of a three-part series on the state of the business continuity
practice. How does BC stack-up against other established professions?
www.contingencyplanning.com/PastIssues/julaug2003/6.asp
Negligent
Failure to Plan
With a ton of regulatory action around the concept of emergency
planning, businesses are being held to a higher standard in regard
to their planning procedures. www.contingencyplanning.com/PastIssues/julaug2003/7.asp
Checklist:
BCP for Human Resources Management
Strategic human resources management (HRM) plays a key role in business
continuity planning. Not only is it responsible for staffing, training,
and employee relations but, depending on organizational design,
it may also be responsible for occupational safety and health programs.
www.contingencyplanning.com/PastIssues/Janfeb2003/3.asp
Employee
Morale
Profiles of assorted business disruption threats, with an overview
of practical preparedness and mitigation strategies, along with
expert advice and a real-life lesson. www.contingencyplanning.com/Tools/BCPHandbook/Disruption/EmployeeMorale.asp
Measuring Your
Program: 3 Methods for Evaluating Business Continuity
Find out if your business continuity program measures up against
industry standards and benchmarks.
Get On the Fast Track
A Process for Quick and Cost-Effective BC & DR Planning
A Give and Take
Relationship
Public-Private Clearance to Classified Threat Information
Business Continuity
Plan Exercising
You can't be sure a continuity plan will work unless you take it
for a spin every once in a while. Yet still, many business and government
organizations fail to conduct business continuity exercises on a
regular basis?
You've Got a Reputation
to Protect
Building a Rock-Solid Corporate Image
Q&A for Blackout
Preparedness
Addressing a Magnitude of Risks
From Disaster Recovery Journal
The Business Continuity Planning Cube
The cube not only depicts the services (products) we are trying
to protect and recover, but also the departments and resources that
produce those services (products).
Business Continuity and your Service Level
Agreements
This article addresses the importance of the service level agreement
in the business continuity process.
Business Continuity in a Sarbanes-Oxley
World
In the wake of spectacular corporate governance failures at companies,
Congress enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to address the shortcomings
of corporate governance and improve the overall controls associated
with the management and reporting of corporate financial information.
Business Continuity: Eight Tips to Ensuring
Sales Remain a Priority
Too often, when crisis strikes, sales are all but forgotten.
The 20 Truths of Business Continuity
After 20 years of helping organizations with their business continuity
and disaster recovery plans I've noticed some of these inescapable
truths that never fail to surface.
Making Plan Distribution, Usage Easier
for Everyone
The old binder in the trunk of a car was always problematic.
Four Steps to Selling Print-to-Mail Recovery
It's hard to believe in today's business environment that any business
would operate without a plan to protect the printing and mailing
of critical documents.
Business Continuity as a Business Issue
With business continuity becoming an enterprise issue instead of
just IT's problem, business is finally beginning to view IT as an
integrated part of the whole.
Executive Support: Solving Communication
Problems to Gain Support
When the CEO stops you in the hall and asks, "What's new?" the first
four words out of your mouth have to be, "I'm glad you asked!"
From Risk and Insurance Management
Protecting Your Reputation
One of the most valuable assets that any company has is its reputation.
In many competitive industries, the differences between the products
or services that companies provide can be difficult to distinguish
for the average consumer. With all things seemingly equal to a consumer
that is unaware of the subtleties of a given operation, choices
are often made based on arbitrary criteria that may have less to
do with performance or quality and more to do with general perceptions.
This is where reputation can be the all-important deciding factor
as to whether or not a company gets and retains business. www.rmmag.com
The Technology of Business Continuity
The ability to maintain production and general system availability
under any stoppage circumstances, ranging from routine maintenance
to a power outage or a natural disaster, is a key component of business
continuity. One needs only to recall the Blackout of 2003 and its
associated costs to begin to grasp the importance of this issue.
Most businesses can afford little, if any, downtime, so when the
plug was pulled last year on thousands of businesses across the
Northeast and Midwest, why were so many of them unable to maintain
normal operations? The answer lies in the complexities surrounding
the nature of true business continuity, which requires appropriate
solutions to the various business continuity threats facing organizations.
www.rmmag.com
DHS has Five Major Divisions, or "Directorates":
I. Border and Transportation Security (BTS): BTS is led by Under Secretary Asa Hutchinson, and is responsible for maintaining the security of our nation's borders and transportation systems. The largest of the Directorates, it is home to agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the former U.S. Customs Service, the border security functions of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
II. Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR): This Directorate, which is headed up by Under Secretary Mike Brown, ensures that our nation is prepared for, and able to recover from, terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
III. Science and Technology (S & T): Under the direction of Under Secretary Dr. Charles McQueary, this Directorate coordinates the Department's efforts in research and development, including preparing for and responding to the full range of terrorist threats involving weapons of mass destruction.
IV. Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection (IAIP): IAIP merges the capability to identify and assess a broad range of intelligence information concerning threats to the homeland under one roof, issue timely warnings, and take appropriate preventive and protective action.
V. Management: The Under Secretary of Management, Janet Hale, is responsible for budget, management and personnel issues in DHS.
Besides the five Directorates of DHS, several other critical agencies are folding into the new department or being newly created:
www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0086.xml
From Economist Intelligence Unit
CEO Briefing: Corporate Priorities for 2004
A New Report from the Economist Intelligence Unit
One key finding: Governance is not a fad. Corporate governance remains a major challenge for executives, and concern is rising fast about new regulations and a higher compliance burden. The report may be downloaded for free. http://store.eiu.com/index.asp?layout=pr_story&press_id=1190000719
7th Annual Global CEO Survey Focuses on
Risk
PriceWaterhouseCoopers has released their 7th Annual Global CEO
Survey, which focuses on the critical issue of risk, with particular
emphasis on enterprise risk management (ERM). Nearly 1,400 CEOs
in 40 countries share their views with us on how they are managing
enterprise. To link to this survey come to www.pwc.com/Extweb/insights.nsf/docid/D4700640C39F9D6780256E1A00417F29
What is the DNA or Your Company?
Is There a BCP Link?
Have you ever wondered what makes your organization tick, how or
why it works (or doesn't)? Find out by completing BoozAllenHamilton's
five-minute Org DNA Profiler(SM).
By answering a few short questions on your organization's structure, decision making, motivators, and information processes, you can learn whether your organization is resilient or passive-aggressive, overmanaged or just-in-time, military or outgrown. Does this factor affect business continuity? Perhaps, take the survey and decide for yourself.