New Book: Building an Enterprise-Wide Business Continuity Program
This New Book offers Step-By-Step Instruction on Developing and Implementing an Enterprise-Wide Business Continuity Program.
If you had to evacuate from your building right now and were told you couldn’t get back in for two weeks, would you know what to do to make sure your business continues to operate? Would your staff? Would every person who works for your organization?
Increasing threats to business operations, both natural and man-made, mean a disaster could occur at any time. It is essential that corporations and institutions develop plans to ensure the preservation of business operations and the technology that supports them should risks become reality.
Building an Enterprise-Wide Business Continuity Program goes beyond theory to provide planners with actual tools needed to build a continuity program in any enterprise. Drawing on over two decades of experience creating continuity plans and exercising them in real recoveries including 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. Master Business Continuity Planner, Kelley Okolita, provides guidance on each step of the process, including how to validate the plan as well as time-tested tips for keeping the plan action-ready over the course of time.
Disasters can happen anywhere, anytime, and for any number of reasons. However, by proactively planning for such events, smart leaders can prepare their organizations to minimize tragic consequences and readily restore order with confidence in the face of such adversity.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Where It All Began From Someone Who Was There
A History of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
Business Continuity vs. Disaster Recovery – What’s the Difference?
Data Center Driven to Business Driven
Selling the Program
- Why It Matters
- Why No One Believes In the “Big” One
- Finding the One They Can’t Say “So What” or “It Will Never Happen” to
Project Initiation and Management – Who, What, When
- Your Planning Team and How to Find Them
- Key Deliverables
- The Project Plan
Risk Evaluation and Control
- Risk Management 101 – Elements of Risk
- Most Common Risks and Controls for Them
- Industry Risks
- Natural Hazard Risks
- Don’t Forget the Neighbors
- Where to Spend Your Mitigating Dollars
- What Risks You Should be Building Plans For
Business Impact Analysis
- What is It?
- Why It’s About Time Sensitivity, Not Criticality
- Assessing Impacts – Dollars, Customers and Regulators
- How to Do This and Get it Right
- Sample BIA Survey
- A Sample Simple BIA Form
Resource Requirements
- How Many, What Type, and Where
- Interdependencies—Who Else Needs to Know/Who Else Needs to Help
- Technology Reviews—Business People and Technology People Speak Different Languages
- Vital Records Program
- The End Product—The Business Function Index
Recovery Strategies
- What Are the Options and What’s good and Bad about Them?
- Selecting a Recovery Strategy
- Performing a Cost/Benefit Analysis
- Selling the Solution to Management
- Implementing the Recovery Strategies
Documenting the Plan
- What Are the Components of the Plan?
- The Sample Plan
- How to Use the Sample Plan
- Distribution of the Plan
- Plan Maintenance Strategies
Training and Awareness
- The Question
- Different Training for Different People
- Training Methods
Testing the Recovery Plans
- The First Rule of Testing
- Types of Tests and When to Use Them
- Test Planning
- Test Execution
- Why You Cannot Fail
- Test Reporting
- Test Schedules
- Technology Testing Questions
- Business Testing Questions
- Sample Test Plan
- Sample Test Report
Coordinating with Public Agencies
- What You Can Expect From Them
- Who You Should Have a Relationship With Before There is a Crisis
- How to Engage Them in Your Program
- Who Are the Regulators in Your Industry?
Crisis Management
- What Happens When It Happens for Real
- Crisis Management as Part of Your Program
- Event Management Process- How to Build a Process to Handle All Events that Impact Your Company so You Can Practice the Process Every Day
- Crisis Management Exercises
- Crisis Leadership Training for Your Senior Team
Crisis Communications
- Handling the Media
- Communicating to Customers
- Communicating to Vendors
- Communicating to Employees
- Basic Dos and Don’ts of Media Communications
- Prepared Messages
- Methods and Tools of Effective Communications
Pandemic Planning
- Why is it Different?
- What is a Pandemic?
- Pandemics in the Last Century
- What is “Bird Flu” and Why are We Worried
- Pandemic Planning Assumptions from the CDC
- What a Pandemic Could Mean to Your Business
- What You Should Do Now To Be Prepared
- Pandemic Planning Checklist
Life Safety
- Floor Wardens
- Evacuation Drills
- Assembly Areas
- Workplace Violence Programs
Industry Certifications
Business Continuity at Home
- Be Ready When a Disaster Strikes You Personally
The Regulatory Environment
Other Areas of Risk Management that Matter to Business Continuity
- Physical Security
- Information Security
- Records Management
- Privacy
- Vendor Management
- Operational Risk Management
- Internal/External Audit
The Future of Business Continuity
Summary
- Step 1 …
Where to Get Additional Information
- Suggested Websites Suggested Reading
- Industry Conferences
- Vendors
See Building an Enterprise-Wide Business Continuity Program, by Kelley Okolita.
