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I can still recall a moment from my childhood where my world was shaken to its very foundation by an Uncle of mine. We were at a family picnic and knowing I had just learned the basics of addition and subtraction, he knelt before me and asked a very peculiar question: “How many fingers do you have?” With a proud smile, I immediately let him know that the correct answer was ten.

“I’m sorry sweet child, you actually have eleven” my Uncle replied. So convincing was his statement, I had to look down at my hands for a recount…

–

As I sat down to write this post, I realized that for the first time since that fateful ’11 finger day’, I was about to boldly state my opinion as fact and there wasn’t a single person alive who could argue against it. Moreover, unless you’re my Uncle, I dare you to try. *wink*

In my daily experience speaking to businesses of all types, I must commend the organizations I come across that have taken the initiative to put a Disaster Recovery Plan in place. It’s a clear indication that they have tried to plan for both the expected and unexpected events that may impact their day-to-day operations.

Unfortunately, the fact remains that the majority of businesses have never tested their recovery plan. How can you be secure in your organization’s ability to function as expected during an actual crisis without first putting it to the test?

Perhaps the word ‘test’ attaches a ‘pass/fail’ criterion and should instead be looked at as more of a practice or drill. Most businesses who have been through a testing of their recovery plan will tell you that there is no such thing as a ‘failed’ test. These exercises are designed to bring certain realities to the surface that may not have been thought about without going through a dry-run. I can certainly understand the satisfaction of being able to put a checkmark in the ‘DR Plan’ box and moving along with the rest of the day’s agenda, but without actually testing the validity of your plan, you can never be certain it will work when needed.

Testing may seem to be a monumental task. At Agility Recovery, we encourage our members to test annually – ensuring their plan stays current, well documented and effective. With staff dedicated solely to assisting members with these needs, we are constantly striving for ways to encourage businesses to test their continuity initiatives. Testing should be a vital component of your continuity plan, not an afterthought.

At this point, I’m curious to know if you’ve found a bone of contention. I think it’s difficult to argue the solid tried and true saying “practice makes perfect”. Where would we be without wedding rehearsals, spring training, or fire drills? Tiger Woods would have no problem telling you that he can attribute almost all of his success to practice. There isn’t any logical harm that can come out of practicing, rehearsing or testing something as important as a disaster recovery plan, which is why we invite you to attend a FREE educational webinar “Best Practices of Testing Your Recovery Plan” on October 28 at 2 p.m. (EST).

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My Uncle continued, “if you say you have ten fingers, then on your left hand, count backward from ten.” I followed his instructions implicitly. Starting at my thumb I counted down to my pinky, “ten, nine, eight, seven, six.”

He looked at me now, smiling. “And how many fingers are on your other hand?”

“Five.” I answered hesitantly.

“Now my boy,” his grin widening, “What is six plus five?”

I learned a very important lesson that day – no matter how certain you are of something, there is always someone willing to argue against you.

With that said, any business looking to survive an interruption (expected or otherwise) would have a hard time arguing the importance of testing, as our preparedness can only make us, and our processes, better.

Oh don’t worry, I’m not naïve, I know there are a few of you out there that have found something to argue with me about. I can almost feel the blood pressure rising in some of you as you read this, angered at my gall to tell you what is ‘fact’ without the opportunity for a fervent discussion. For this, I offer my sincerest apologies. Of course, if I have made you angry, just do what was taught to me to help calm yourself down.

Put your hands straight out in front of you, close your eyes…and count to eleven. And feel free to leave a comment below.

- Jonathan Prasad
Agility Recovery Solutions
Agility Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Solutions
Our Agility Blog
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As we all had just become immune to the daily news reports highlighting the global economic climate, a new headline burst upon the scene earlier this year causing yet another ripple in an already stunned and battle weary business community. At the start of the summer, The “Swine Flu”, or H1N1 virus was declared a true pandemic, and with that, forced businesses everywhere to take a close look at their level of disaster preparedness.

Having lived through the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Toronto and experiencing the disruption first-hand, I was all too familiar with the imposing threat. During SARS I witnessed businesses and hospitals quarantine sections of buildings to contain possibly infected individuals. A cough or a sneeze on a subway car would cause fellow passengers to hold their breath or quickly shuffle further upwind. It was not uncommon to see people going about their daily business with their identities half hidden by the face masks that filtered their breathing air. As I thought I had seen the last of such an Orwellian vision, I now flash forward six years to yet another.

 After all the media hype during the spring H1N1 outbreak, and relatively little impact, many people have become complacent and in some cases even cynical. The perceived threat level has somewhat diminished since the announcement earlier this year, but it does not mean that the risk is negligible. Pandemic fatigue is a real issue. It is important to recognize the potential impact it may have and how to prepare your family, your community and your business.

 Headlines relating to H1N1 are beginning to resurface so this begs the question, is MY business prepared? Unfortunately, there are many businesses whose only contingency plan consists of the following rule: “If you’re sick, don’t come to work”. Unfortunately, this is a rather narrow minded solution that would cripple a business once all its critical resources were sequestered at home.

 The good news is that while most disasters are difficult to plan for due to the wide variety of possible interruptions, a flu pandemic has specific elements that can be prepared for, even if you haven’t had an extended period to plan. Below are just a few points to help your business stay prepared:

1. Educate our employees about H1N1 symptoms, basic infection control and the possible business consequences.
2. Encourage employees to get H1N1 flu vaccinations when they become available.
3. Create, review and/or update your plan
4. Ensure your plan includes a way for employees to effectively work from home and that communication remains open within all departments of your business.

This list obviously just skims the surface. It is however a good starting point.  

For more detailed information about H1N1 and how to better prepare your business register for Agility’s free webinar Pandemic Planning – How to Prepare Your Business for the Upcoming Flu Season, this coming Wednesday (9/16). Our expert speaker, Colonel William Lang (Ret.), M.D., is the Former Associate Chief Medical Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and is among the world’s foremost experts in medical contingency planning and public health response to biological incidents, including both pandemic and bio-terrorism events. You will not want to miss this!

In support of National Preparedness Month Agility Recovery Solutions is hosting free webinars throughout the month of September and we have an outstanding lineup of nationally recognized speakers. Visit our site to learn more.  

- Jonathan Prasad
Agility Recovery Solutions
Agility Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Solutions
Our Agility Blog
Follow Us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/AgilityRecovery

Okay, here’s a thought…after a disaster 1 in 4 companies will never recover. Their business will cease to exist; it will shuffle off this mortal coil; it will be an “ex-business”. 

Obviously the idea is to stay in business and emerge from any interruption with the self-satisfied grin of someone who has prevailed in the face of adversity. The big question is how do we achieve that ideal?

I think, and I’m hopeful people will agree, that the most important thing is to prepare for and have a disaster recovery plan in place. Not just your business, but also your family and even your community. The problem, as I see it, is that there are lots of different ideas regarding what constitutes being prepared and quite honestly, the idea can seem a bit daunting. Where do you start? How do you put it down on paper in a coherent fashion as part of your comprehensive disaster recovery plan? Oh, and by the way disaster recovery is NOT just IT, so take that way of thinking, and lock it in a darkened room somewhere.

In the interest of prompting discussion and/or thought, let’s throw some ideas around.  I, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), would suggest that there are three simple, but, important steps:

1.                    Plan to stay in business

-          Start with the basics and keep it simple, look at how your company currently functions and which of those functions it cannot do without.

-          Identify potential disasters, plan accordingly, and look at everything from server/network failures, to power outages, floods or hurricanes (or whatever obnoxious weather you get in your particular corner of the country). Even look at complete loss situations like fires.

-          Consider financial disasters. What will happen if you face a lawsuit? How will you recover?

-          How and where will you get your employees back to work if your building is inaccessible (or flat out no longer there)?

2.                    Talk to your employees

-          Encourage them to think about and plan for their families during a disaster.

-          Make brain-storming a part of the planning process and include staff from all levels of your business.

-          Identify the key people in your organization who will play a vital role in any recovery, and make sure they know what to do.

-          Use drills and exercises to test your recovery plan, make sure that it works, and that each person is capable of fulfilling their role.

-          Put some kind of contact plan in place. How will you communicate with your people when the phones and internet go down?

3.                    Protect your investment

-       Make sure you have a contingency for utility interruptions.

-          Implement a security plan for your buildings and satellite locations.

-          Talk to your vendors about their recovery plans and work together to ensure mutual survival.

-          Make sure your insurance coverage extends to all manner of disasters, especially natural ones, and will cover you for recovery costs.

I realize that this is hardly a comprehensive list. I do, however, think it is a good starting point for those of you who are new to disaster recovery planning or are feeling rather overwhelmed by the whole thing. Even for those of you who have been doing this for a number of years I hope this will give you something to think about the next time you cast a critical eye over your plans.

If you would like more information, ideas, and/or checklists to help in your disaster recovery planning, please have a look through the resources available on our website or visit Ready.gov. Alternatively, you can call us on 1.877.364.9393 and ask to speak to one of our consultants about the Roadmap to Recovery.

In support of National Preparedness Month Agility is hosting free webinars throughout the month of September and we have an outstanding lineup of nationally recognized speakers. Join us next Wednesday 9/2 for Business Preparedness – Simple Steps to Ensure Continuity with guest speaker Rebecca Marquez, Acting Director of the Ready Campaign from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  You won’t want to miss it! 

- Ben Pritchard

Agility Recovery Solutions

Agility Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Solutions

Our Agility Blog

Follow Us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/AgilityRecovery

It’s coming to that time of year again, where everyone here at Agility starts getting all excited (more than usual anyway) about National Preparedness Month. This marks our 5^th year as an official sponsor of National Preparedness and it’s looking to be our best event yet. So without further ado, let’s take a look at September’s National Preparedness Month (NPM), a nationwide effort to encourage citizens to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools.

As you may know, during NPM, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will work with a variety of organizations to highlight the importance of emergency preparedness and promote community involvement through events and activities across the nation.

Here at Agility Recovery Solutions we are joining in the effort to help educate all businesses about the importance of business continuity planning. To that end, Agility is hosting four free Webinars this September on Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. EDT (11:00 a.m. PDT) with an outstanding lineup of nationally recognized speakers. Topics include:

September 2, 2009 – “Business Preparedness – Simple Steps To Ensure Continuity”

Guest Speaker: Ms. Rebecca Marquis, Acting Director of Ready Campaign, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Invite a Friend

September 16, 2009 – “Pandemic Planning – How to Prepare Your Business for the Upcoming Flu Season”

Guest Speaker: Colonel William Lang (Ret.), M.D. Former Associate Chief Medical Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

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September 23, 2009 – “Social Media – What Role Does It Play in Business Preparedness?”

Guest Speaker: Mr. John P. Shea, Public Information Officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

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September 30, 2009 – Creating a “Culture of Preparedness”

Guest Speaker: Mr. R. David Paulison, Former Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Invite a Friend

At Agility we are often found espousing the importance of thorough disaster recovery planning and being properly prepared for whatever nastiness and general unpleasantness that may come your way. Have a listen to what these four nationally acknowledged experts have to say and benefit from their years of experience. Now you really don’t have to just take our word for it, take theirs too!

Personally I shall be sitting in on all four webinars, and would advise each of you to do the same. This is an impressive lineup of speakers and I sure don’t want to miss it.

Visit Agility for more information or click on the links above to register today!

Ben Pritchard

Agility Recovery

http://www.agilityrecovery.com

http://www.ouragility.com

http://twitter.com/AgilityRecovery