Mass Notification Emergency Communication

Communication is critical during and after an emergency... to maintain continuity of operations, protect organizational reputation, providing customer/member satisfaction. What is your plan for identifying and implementing your critical mass communication needs? From how emergency notifications work to how to sell them to the management team, this week’s articles can help you figure it all out.

Poor communication is often to blame for turning an emergency into a catastrophe. (Item #1) Counting on the fact that everyone has a cell phone could be a grave error for emergency planners. (Item #2) It’s not enough to blast a message to everyone. It’s crucial that the message is understood. (Item #3)

Here are 12 best practices that apply to the corporate world. (Item #4) Do you know what issues to consider when pricing an emergency notification system? (Item #5) Today, most Business Continuity professionals recognize the need and value of an emergency notification system, but, as with so many other BCP requirements, the budget isn't there. What to do? (Item #6)


The entire issue is available at http://goo.gl/pqpbF9

Hurricane Preparedness

According to the National Weather Service, a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. You can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster if you know your vulnerability and what actions you should take in the event of a storm, plus you can improve your odds for recovery from a disaster. National Hurricane Preparedness Week runs from May 25-31 this year, so now is a good time to get ready for hurricane season - Atlantic season begins June 1 and runs through November 30, while the Eastern Pacific season began May 15 and also ends November 30.

On average over the last few decades, hurricane seasons brought a total of 16 named tropical storms, with five growing into stronger hurricanes. (Item #1) Information here from the National Hurricane Center could save lives. (Item #2) The only effective way that a business can mitigate or diffuse the effects of a hurricane is to prepare for it. (Item #3)

Hurricane Sandy taught many companies unfortunate lessons about the importance of disaster recovery planning; here are some of the lessons learned. (Item #4) The time to prepare is now, not while the hurricane is bearing down on your location. (Item #5) While not prepared for hurricanes only, this publication from FEMA can be immensely helpful in your preparations. (Item #6)


The entire issue is available at http://goo.gl/8LG25N

Business Continuity Planning

Globalization, climate change, and other developments have complicated the business continuity planning process. It’s no longer enough to plan for what can happen to your organization directly; you have to take into account how major disasters anywhere can impact you. In addition, you need to know what to do post-disaster so you can keep operating. This week’s articles shed light on some of those concerns.

Currently there’s no science that can predict when or where the next disaster will strike or, more importantly, whether it will impact your company’s operations; fortunately, you can prepare. (Item #1) The post-crisis recovery phase is one of the least addressed in planning, training and simulations. (Item #2) This article explores different types of plans and examines their purpose within a wider business continuity strategy. (Item #3)

This article explains why coordinating of BC management with governance, risk & compliance is important, and provides some real examples, practical tips and advice on how to integrate them. (Item #4) A business impact analysis helps organizations recognize and prioritize which information, hardware and personnel assets are crucial to the business so that proper planning for contingency situations can be undertaken. (Item #5) Climate change causes some to ponder data center relocation and other, less drastic hardening measures. (Item #6)


The entire issue is available at http://goo.gl/RSt6nZ

Email Retention

Just about all organizations archive emails, but how many of us retain email? With archiving, you might keep emails forever. With an email retention policy, however, you are setting up specific times that various types of emails are kept before being automatically deleted. And the decision on how long to retain these documents can be impacted by laws or regulations. If you don’t have an email retention policy, this week’s articles may be of help in getting started on one.

Learn about email retention policies and how to determine which policy is right for you. (Item #1) A retention policy for electronic information defines how long the information should be stored until it’s deleted. (Item #2) One of the thorniest issues of records and information management is how to address e-mail. (Item #3)

Does your organization require an email retention policy? (Item #4) As email’s storage role grows, so too does its evidentiary value, making the need to formally retain, effectively archive, and quickly search and produce email business records essential business functions. (Item #5) Here’s a sample email retention policy you can use or modify. (Item #6)

The entire issue is available at http://goo.gl/Htma4W