Mass Communication Systems

What if you send out a mass notification and nobody gets it? This is the thing that nightmares are made of. Hopefully, this will never happen to any of us. To help ensure you know what you’re looking for, this week’s articles provide guidance on how to determine what you need and how to get it. Also, new technology means that these systems are much improved and are not just for emergencies any more.

Looks may not be everything when it comes to a mass notification solution, but the way an online solution feels and operates is nevertheless important: Lessons from The Bachelor. (Item #1)   Consider these seven key factors with emergency communication. (Item #2)   Here’s an analysis of current mass notification trends and how two-way listing, analog-to-digital and other factors will impact the future of MNEC. (Item #3)

Mass communication technologies are offering several new options and capabilities that go beyond the typical uses in traditional applications. (Item #4)   Mass communication is no longer just for emergencies.  (Item #5)   These 10 tips on evaluating mass notification vendors can help you avoid problems down the road. (Item #6)


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Email Retention and Records Management

If you're struggling with the need to develop an email and records retention policy, you're not alone. You have to know what and how you have to do it and understand your organization's specific needs. This week's articles should get you on your way to an effective retention policy.

This post explains how to begin addressing one of the thorniest issues of document management and information governance; email and electronic communication. (Item #1)   Have you read about a recent business litigation case that depended on email correspondence to win? Probably. (Item #2)   While there is no specific FFIEC regulatory mandate for archiving, there are three reasons why you might want to consider archiving. (Item #3)

States need to do a better job of preserving electronic communications, both for transparency and historical value. (Item #4)   It's important for employers to be familiar with all relevant federal and state record retention laws. (Item #5)   When the question of ROI for business continuity planning arises, keep in mind that it is the wrong question to ask. (Item #6)

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Hurricanes/Severe Weather

Hurricane Preparedness Week is May 15-21. NOAA says that this is your time to prepare for a potential land-falling tropical storm or hurricane. We only have to remember Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy to realize that one storm could shut down our organizations, possibly forever, but at least for years. With this in mind, isn’t it the smartest thing to prepare well ahead of time for the worst-case scenario? To help you do this, we’ve provided the articles to assist in your planning.

This hurricane preparedness checklist is a comprehensive list of what needs to be done before, during and after a storm. (Item #1)   The human factor in commercial hurricane readiness is critical, especially since damage from a hurricane may be widespread. (Item #2)   Here’s what you need to know to prepare your commercial building for a hurricane. (Item #3)

Businesses located within hurricane threat zones should have a hurricane preparedness plan. (Item #4)   Proper preparation can take great strides to reducing any worries you might face if a hurricane makes landfall near your small business. (Item #5)   Take the advice of these Louisiana IT leaders, who learned lessons the hard way about safeguarding infrastructure and equipment. (Item #6) 


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Business Continuity Awareness Week

This annual event, organized by the Business Continuity Institute, is designed to raise awareness of business continuity and resilience. This year it will be held May 16-23. The theme for the week is return on investment and it will look at the many advantages of business continuity. For example, your insurance premiums may be reduced (or not increased by as much!) if you an effective business continuity plan. Or possibly the analysis of you did of your organization has identified the potential for efficiency savings. Have you thought about what your business continuity ROI could be?

Here are three examples of potential ROI from taking a day-to-day resiliency approach. (Item #1)   Despite the clear and increasing risks, some companies do not implement business continuity solutions due to a lack of resources and the difficulty in determining the ROI. (Item #2)   This brief video discusses ROI and KPI measurement. (Item #3)

We don't have business continuity plans and BIA's for our personal lives.... so how, when knowing what you know about resiliency, risk, uncertainty, and recovery do you handle this away from the office? (Item #4)   How do you measure the unmeasurable? (Item #5)   When the question of ROI for business continuity planning arises, keep in mind that it is the wrong question to ask. (Item #6) 


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Testing & Training

We've probably all heard the phrase "fail early, fail cheap," but have we heeded its warning? When testing your business continuity plan, one of the most effective outcomes is learning where it failed -- before you need to use it. Early failure can be addressed and costs less -- in terms of money, manpower and business impact -- than failure when the plan is critically needed. If you think of testing and training as the keys to the continuity of operations, you’ll get busy now. This week's articles can provide some help.

Cyber scenarios have become much more common in business continuity exercises, due to the increasing concern about the impacts of information security threats. (Item #1)   These seven steps can help small businesses develop effective testing programs. (Item #2)   Disaster recovery testing is highly valued among standards and DR/BC organizations, but these tests are only effective if you perform them correctly. (Item #3)

This article looks at how Continuity 2.0 might be applied in practice. (Item #4)   Here are seven tips to think about to ensure that your next work area recovery test is successful. (Item #5)   Ideally all elements of business continuity plans should be exercised on regularly scheduled basis (at least annually). (Item #6)


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