Risk and Business Continuity

Jan 25, 2017 - Risk assessment and management are critical to the creation and success of business continuity plans. Through the years, there has been a lot of discussion about which should come first, which is more critical, whether they are integrated, etc. This issue focuses on risk and its role in the entire business continuity process.

When Risk Assessment and Business Impact Analysis are placed together, these two processes combined can easily tell how hard a potential disruption can impact a business, as well as how quickly and how damaging it can be. (Item #1) Here is an overview of four key criteria that are essential for effective risk management. (Item #2) The board should start by reviewing the process that is being used to identify risks... not just a legal/compliance risk assessment but one tied to other matters, such as business continuity planning, crisis response plans, and even basic fraud. (Item #3)

Risk assessment and business impact analysis are key stages in disaster recovery planning, but where do they fit into the DR planning process? (Item #4) Being ready for risk is the key to any successful BCM plan; while many disruptions are unplanned, you can still weigh the risks and probability of events. (Item #5) Involvement in risk assessment and BCM fits very much with the strategic role of HR. (Item #6)


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Business Continuity and the Cloud

Jan 18, 2017 - Does your business continuity plan leverage the advantages of the Cloud? If not, perhaps you should consider if it should. While there are some security issues to consider when moving to the Cloud, there also are many benefits that may be derived. Take a look at this week’s articles to see if a move to the Cloud might help strengthen your business continuity and disaster recovery plans.

An emerging viable tool for disaster recovery is the cloud. (Item #1)   Business continuity may be taking on a new flavor as the cloud gains prominence. (Item #2)   New disaster recovery as-a-service (DRaaS) solutions designed for the public cloud have changed the business resiliency game. (Item #3)

No insurance policy will help employees continue working if they don’t have access to business-critical applications. (Item #4)   The next generation of firewalls can be used as effective business continuity tools (Item #5)   The jury is still out on whether using cloud-based services increases or decreases the likelihood of business interruptions. (Item #6)

If you are interested in more info about Cloud Computing and some things to consider about it, you can review the July 27th issue of the NewsBriefs at http://attainium.net/newsbriefs/2016-07-27-BC-Newsbriefs.html.


For the full issue, click here.

Crisis Management

Do you know what you would do when/if faced with a crisis that could impact your reputation and your bottom line? If you answered no, then we urge you to hurry up and develop a crisis management plan. Item #3 this week talks about one company's successful handling of a crisis, while other articles look at who didn't handle things well. We can learn from both situations and improve our own plans.

How ready are you for your next unscheduled controversy? (Item #1)   Immediate and full disclosure is the proven method to successfully defuse crises and resolve them favorably. (Item #2)   Why do some organizations come out of a crisis with an enhanced reputation while others may not even survive as a business? (Item #3)

A recent study suggests that improving crisis messaging could have to do with social media and how your reputation is determined online. (Item #4)   Wells Fargo's recent crisis offers a picture of how not to handle a crisis. (Item #5)   Here are seven crisis management lessons from the Wells Fargo Scandal. (Item #6)


For the full issue, click here.