Simplifying Testing


Business continuity planning efforts are made or broken by the testing program that is implemented to validate strategies, rehearse those who will play a role in recovery, and provide essential input to change management processes.

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UK Market-wide Exercise 2009 announced


The UK financial sector’s next Market-wide Exercise will take place on 17th and 25th November 2009, the Tripartite Authorities have announced.

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DISASTER RECOVERY: Dress Rehearsals Reveal Holes


When Farmington (Connecticut USA) Savings Bank (FSB) staged a mock disaster affecting a branch, back office operations, as well as accounting and lending, the post-mortem on its disaster recovery plan revealed weaknesses the plans’ creators couldn’t have anticipated.
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Eye-Opening Disaster Exercise For Community Leaders


It was an eye opener for the 270 delegates attending the Disaster Recovery exercise at the Community Board Conference 09 in Christchurch, New Zealand.

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Did You Know - National Level Exercise 2009 (NLE 09)


National Level Exercise 2009 (NLE 09) is scheduled by FEMA for July 27 through July 31, 2009.   NLE 09 will be the first major exercise conducted by the United States government that will focus exclusively on terrorism prevention and protection, as opposed to incident response and recovery.

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Five Critical Recovery Flaws Your Last Disaster Recovery Test Might Have Missed


A recently published article, Recovery Flaws Your Last DR Test Might Have Missed, explores the reasons why periodic disaster recovery testing and manual auditing are not enough to ensure disaster recovery readiness.

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Key Success Factors in Facilitating Exercises


One of the most visible and essential elements of a business continuity program is exercising. Performing exercises enables the organization to validate and improve business continuity capabilities and plan documentation.

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NATIONAL EXERCISE SIMULATION CENTER OPENS AT FEMA


The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today held the official opening of its newly constructed National Exercise Simulation Center (NESC) at FEMA Headquarters. The NESC provides a state-of-the-art facility to serve the all-hazards preparedness and response mission through pooling resources, maximizing efficiency and providing sustained exercise and training support to all stakeholders.

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National Exercise Simulation Center Opens at FEMA


The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently opened its newly constructed National Exercise Simulation Center (NESC) at FEMA Headquarters.   The NESC provides a state-of-the-art facility to serve the all-hazards preparedness and response mission through pooling resources, maximizing efficiency and providing sustained exercise and training support to all stakeholders.

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Help! I’m an observer at my first disaster recovery exercise…


Help! I’m an observer at my first disaster recovery exercise…

Sean Doherty, BCM Adviser for RBC Royal Bank IT division, provides some advice, via Continuity Central.

I was recently asked by a colleague to share checklists which would help a new observer at a business continuity or disaster recovery exercise. The request forced me to think back on my own observer role, when I began to work in BCM.

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DHS Completes Radiological/Nuclear Exercise


The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently announced the completion of Southern Exposure, a full-scale exercise (FSE) which marked the culmination of the Southeast Transportation Corridor Pilot (SETCP).  The exercise ran from October 23 through November 5, 2008, and was sponsored by the DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO), along with other federal, state, and local participants.  The FSE was intended to demonstrate the Southeast region’s capabilities to coordinate, communicate and respond during and after a possible radiological/nuclear threat to the region’s interstate highways.

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