Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Shelter in Place

There are any number of circumstances that may require you to shelter in place (SIP) at work, at home or at school. Chemical spills are typical situations requiring sheltering in place, but weather and other dangers also may require you to stay indoors. If you don’t cover shelter in place in your disaster response or business continuity plan, it’s time to include it. The articles below can make preparation easier for you.

Can you handle an SIP situation that will keep employees safe? (Item #1) This Red Cross guide to SIP is especially informative. (Item #2) SIP is more than just staying inside… it has to keep everyone safe. (Item #3)

This article addresses some specifics for sheltering in place for small businesses. (Item #4) Building managers have many considerations in an SIP situation; this Q&A can answer many of your questions. (Item #5) This site is just one example of where you can obtain supplies and kits you will need if you have to shelter in place. (Item #6)


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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Workplace Violence

There are an estimated 1.7 million incidents of non-fatal workplace violence reported each year. Many of these are in convenience stores and hospitals, but no workplace is immune from such violence. From 2000 to 2010, more than 500 work-related homicides occurred each year. This violence costs an estimated $121 billion each year in the U.S. Costs could include lost productivity, counseling, contract/sales losses, cleaning and refurbishing, increased insurance costs, lawsuits and settlements, and more. If workplace violence isn’t on your radar, perhaps it should be.

Workplace violence can and does happen anywhere – are you prepared? (Item #1) Here is comprehensive information for employers on all aspects of workplace violence. (Item #2) Physical violence isn’t the only form in the workplace; here are some tips on preventing injury in many forms. (Item #3)

Does your incident management plan cover everything it needs to in order to address the potential sources of workplace violence? (Item #4) Employees may recognize potential violence but won’t tell you; why not? (Item #5) If you’re ever in a situation with an active shooter, this article can help you figure out what to do. (Item #6)


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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Testing and Exercising

It's the beginning of a new year, and you should be thinking about whether your business continuity plan is still viable... has it been tested? Have you had major personnel changes? Are you sure you've covered all possible risks? If not, you definitely need to schedule a test of the plan to see if it still has everything you need and to ensure everybody knows who's doing what when. This week's articles should be of help.

Here's help for conducting successful desktop exercises. (Item #1) What makes a good test scenario? (Item #2) How would you handle the crises in this article? (Item #3)

Testing and training help ensure the safety of your employees. (Item #4) There are some new ways to test and validate your BC plans. (Item #5) The more your business relies on IT, the more you need to ensure your plan will work. (Item #6)


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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

CyberCrime

Data breaches, hacking and other types of cybercrime are becoming more prevalent, and the perpetrators are becoming more and more inventive. There are steps you can take to prevent your organization from becoming a victim of cybercrime or to lessen the impact of any attacks. This week's articles cover a range of topics that can help.

A new report identifies the specific cyber issues that are expected to cause the most issues in 2012. (Item #1) Cybercrime costs businesses some $388 billion each year. (Item #2) Here are some tips to help protect small businesses/organizations from cybercrime. (Item #3)

This article tells you all you need to know about corporate account takeover. (Item #4) Don't forget that staff training can help prevent some forms of cybercrime. (Item #5) What does today's cyber criminal look like? (Item #6)


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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

While some folks say the economy is improving, it’s improving slowly. For many organizations, this means cutting back on spending on business continuity and disaster recovery. You might want to think again, however, once you read this week’s articles. It seems that the right way to approach this economic impact is to recognize that BC is more important than ever in these difficult times and to learn how to maximize the impact of what you spend.

Slashing the BC budget can result in serious damage to your organization in the long run. (Item #1) Instead of cutting costs, focus on how to get better return on what you’re already investing. (Item #2) Upgrading plans and testing procedures are the right things to do in a recession. (Item #3)

Greater security for your networks can improve productivity. (Item #4) You can’t only spend on the most glaring weaknesses; hackers will find the lesser ones you thought you could live with. (Item #5) How do some BC pros stay relevant, even in tough economic times? (Item #6)


The full issue, as well as, back issues are available at http://www.attainium.net/newsbriefs