Risk

The potential for risk is everywhere around us... how are you planning to mitigate, avoid or transfer the potential risks to your organization? Before you do anything else, you must identify those risks. The New Year brings new sources of risk as well, and each organization needs to do whatever it can to figure out where trouble might lurk. Read this week's articles for clues and suggested mitigation activities.

KPMG has identified seven key strategic, operational and external risk areas that should top CROs' risk management agendas this year. (Item #1)    Technologies and security issues need to be considered for remote access. (Item #2)   The combination of risk management and business continuity provides the level of resiliency that most organizations must achieve in light of the uncertainty that exists today. (Item #3)

Many companies are concerned that business interruption losses, which usually result from property damage, will increasingly be driven by cyber-attacks, technical failure or geo-political instability as new non-physical damage causes of disruption. (Item #4)    Here's some help to fill out a risk assessment template. (Item #5)   The author believes that, without a business continuity plan in place, the basic survival of a company over the medium to long term is severely at risk. (Item #6)


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Business Continuity and the Cloud

Cloud computing -- or SaaS -- is a very much talked about today. Some of the talk is about its benefits (scalability, reliability, accessibility, etc.) but some of the talk is about its drawbacks (complexity, cost, security, etc.).  Whatever your point of view, it seems that the cloud is here to stay, so we all should be considering how and if we can use it effectively and strategically to achieve our disaster recovery and business continuity goals. This week’s articles could prove helpful toward making that decision.

As the cloud matures and continues to provide cost-efficient and scalable methods of computing for infrastructure, applications, and data, it’s likely to become an increasingly popular option for enterprise disaster recovery. (Item #1)   Clouds are here to stay and an increasingly important aspect of how organizations achieve their goals with technology. (Item #2)   There are specific cloud technologies that have become driving factors for better business IT redundancy. (Item #3)

Why is the cloud such a powerful choice for companies' BC and DR requirements? (Item #4)   The jury is still out on whether using cloud-based services increases or decreases the likelihood of business interruptions. (Item #5)   What information do you need to obtain from your cloud provider when it comes to the protection of business-critical data? (Item #6)


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Flu and Business Continuity

Although flu season, according to the experts, is starting later this year, we can still expect flu outbreaks over the winter and, like last year, they could be significant. If you haven't planned for flu yet this year, it's not too late to save you and your employees from the effects of this year's flu season. This week's articles provide insight and information to help your organization get through with the least impact.

In addition to preparing for the impact of a flu outbreak, you should consider what you will do to help your employees stay healthy. (Item #1)   The "Mobilizing Against Pandemic" study outlines five simple steps organizations can take to support a mobile workforce in the event of a serious flu outbreak. (Item #2)   Learn what two strategies are recommended to businesses and employers this flu season. (Item #3)

Proper planning will allow employers in the public and private sectors to better protect their employees and lessen the impact of a pandemic or seasonal flu outbreak on society and the economy. (Item #4)   In non-medical terms the flu is explained, followed by how it is spread and then how all executives and facility management in any organization can prepare. (Item #5)   From a numbers standpoint, the flu ravages a business much like it does the human body. (Item #6)


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Challenges and Trends for 2016

With every new year, and increasing, changing resources, come the predictions of changes in business continuity and disaster recovery. Many experts and surveys have predicted and/or identified the trends and challenges for BC for 2016. As you look over these articles, consider whether these newest predictions impact your organization and what you should be doing or thinking about to improve your BC/DR situation.

The majority (55.72 percent) of respondents to a Continuity Central survey expect to see small changes, whilst almost a third (30.35 percent) is anticipating large changes in Business Continuity. (Item #1)   Cloud-based disaster recovery and compliance concerns are chief challenges in 2016. (Item #2)   As the growth in data presents new challenges at a range of levels, organizations can take advantage of newer cloud resources, ensuring they make the most of the data explosion. (Item #3)

New technologies are likely to be targets for cyber-criminals, who will try to exploit inherent weaknesses, lack of user experience, or both. (Item #4)   The cloud changes the nature of recovery, because recovery and production no longer have to be treated as two separate entities. (Item #5)   BC has a clear role in embedding resilience in the organization. (Item #6)


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