National Preparedness Month

September 2015 is the 12th annual National Preparedness Month and a good time to determine if you're ready for the various disasters or disruptions that could occur. This year's theme is "Don't Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today," and it's great advice. Ready.gov is urging everyone to make a plan including having an up-to-date contact list for everyone in your organization and establishing alternate methods of communication in case traditional methods are unavailable. And remember preparedness at home as well.

Ham radio might be a viable alternate communication system... check out this info. (Item #1)   The following information will help you better understand what happens to our communications systems during an emergency and how best to use our communications systems during a crisis or disaster. (Item #2)   Make emergency communications part of your plan to be prepared; it is likely that at some point you will need it. (Item #3)

This Ready Business Mentoring Guide: User Edition is designed to help small business owners and managers take action to reduce the impact of natural or man-made disasters. (Item #4)   A new report looks at the preparedness lessons that can be learned from Hurricane Katrina. (Item #5)   This checklist provides general guidance that can be useful in developing a checklist appropriate for your business. (Item #6)

Past issues of the NewsBriefs are available at http://www.attainium.net/newsbriefs/

Business Continuity Planning

Some organizations seem to think that business continuity planning is asking for trouble... look for what might happen and it will. After all, “nothing has ever happened in all the years we’ve been in business.” But, as the Bob Dylan song says, "The Times They Are A-Changin.” We’ve seen too many disasters and disruptions not to be wary that these things can also happen to us. So, if you’ve been slow to start this planning project or just haven’t kept things up to date, this week’s articles should be helpful to you and your team as you build or refine your plan.

Most people aren’t reluctant to create a business continuity plan – they just aren’t aware of why they need one or what they are. (Item #1)   Consider how your current plan is equipped to address your company’s resilience to and recovery from disruptions and disasters in these nine critical areas. (Item #2)   Especially during a calamitous event, your business continuity strategy must factor in the emotional and physical impact on your workforce. (Item #3)

Companies that survive unexpected incidents are the ones that thought about their employees’ needs. (Item #4)   The business owner who said he didn’t need a BC plan was not getting the business benefits of establishing and maintaining a business continuity plan.  (Item #5)   Check out these 10 tips for business continuity planning. (Item #6)


Past issues of the NewsBriefs are available at http://www.attainium.net/newsbriefs/

Cyber Issues

If you haven't gotten serious yet about preparing your organization for a cyber attack, now's the time. A recent survey from Juniper suggests that cybercrime may cost businesses more than $2 trillion in the next five years, citing the increasing professionalism of cyber crime. We've rounded up some articles this week that provide some insight on what's happening in cyber security and how you might prepare to respond to attacks. Talk with your team about policies and procedures you might put in place to protect your assets.

The best way to demonstrate the needs for cyber security policies and procedures is to perform a Cyber Security audit and implement the resulting recommendations. (Item #1)   It is absolutely critical to understand what kind of data a company collects, how the company uses, stores, shares, processes, protects, and disposes of information, and how to develop and evaluate a plan to respond to attacks that target these data. (Item #2)   This white paper provides essential insights for management to get the basics of cyber security right. (Item #3)

Organizations need to accept that an attack is not only possible but that it is likely: and that requires a mind-set shift. (Item #4)   It seems buying insurance against the financial consequences of cyberterrorism from Lloyds of London, the world's oldest insurance market, is easier and more palatable than tackling the underlying problem. (Item #5)   This cybersecurity controls checklist could be helpful in determining how prepared you are to meet the threat of cybercrime. (Item #6)


Past issues of the NewsBriefs are available at http://www.attainium.net/newsbriefs/

Getting Management Buy-In

Over the years, we have talked about the importance of getting management buy-in for business continuity plans. Once again, we have collected some articles that can help you attain the buy-in you need as you develop and refine your plans. In addition, some of the needs of the C-suite have changed and article #2 talks about how to sell to the modern C-suite. Also, once the senior execs are on board, you do need to get middle management engaged and supportive (see item #6).

Paradoxically, support for BC/DR is just as unlikely to come from below—putting you in the awkward position of convincing the organization to value business continuity only after you help senior management see they need to find it valuable, too. (Item #1)   By showing the C-suite that BCP can help them meet their unique objectives, your organization as a whole can reap the benefits of having a plan. (Item #2)   Here are 10 tips for getting executive support for your BC program. (Item #3)

These brief videos can help you increase awareness and understanding of the importance of Business Continuity to your organization. (Item #4)   The information provided can very well be the organization's first steps of business continuity or a revitalization of an existing program that's become archaic or dysfunctional. (Item #5)   You've gotten the support of executive management; now how do you get middle management on board? (Item #6)


Past issues of the NewsBriefs are available at http://www.attainium.net/newsbriefs/