Category: Disaster Recovery

Resiliency and the New Normal

The term “Resiliency” has become commonplace in discussions about Business Continuity Management (BCM).  Resiliency is often portrayed as the goal of BCM.  But Resiliency is usually ill-defined.  It means one thing to the CIO, but may mean something quite different to the CRO. If Resiliency is the “new normal” (as…

If Not BIA Survey, What? (Part 2)

Part 1 of this article suggested that today’s BIA Survey is overused, over-stuffed, over-valued and usually overwhelming.  Instead, the article advocated a solid starting point, narrowed objectives and easily quantifiable goals. The survey itself is a process fraught with problems.  An earlier blog dealt with many of those problems (subjectivity,…

The Myth of Resources Required Over Time

In many organizations, buried somewhere in their Business Impact Analysis (BIA), is a form asking participants to designate what Resources (computers, phones, printers – even desks and chairs) they will require if their normal business operations are disrupted. That sounds like a reasonable request.  For years the concept of Resources-over-Time…

If Not a BIA Survey, What? (Part 1)

Some time ago eBRP posted a blog article I chose to call “The BIA Survey: an Effort in Futility” I’ve been asked why I haven’t published a follow-up article (as the original implied).  It’s less lack of inertia and more a wish to avoid controversy.  Not everyone agreed with my…

The Myth of Departmental Continuity Plans

Since the early days of Business Continuity Planning, many organizations have chosen to focus efforts on “Worst Case” and “Hole-in-the-ground” scenario planning, and Departmental Continuity Plans.  The value of Departmental Continuity Plans is a myth. Planning for an artificial, organizational construct ‘the Department’ shifts emphasis from the real reason BCM…

5 Reasons BCM programs Fall short, Flounder or Fail

After more than 20-some years of analysis and observation of BCM programs, patterns have emerged.  Some programs have been very successful, while some never quite achieved much – and others withered away.  From those observations, here are 5 common, very simple reasons why too many BCM programs fail to prosper. …

The Myth of Moving to the Cloud

This is the 2nd in a series of articles examining the “myths” of today’s Business Continuity Management industry. The emergence of “Cloud” technologies in the past decade has created both benefits and risks.  Whether simply backing critical data up in the cloud, moving applications there, or implementing a full-fledged DRaaS…

Will your Business Continuity Plan Serve Your Recovery Horizon?

Assumptions can be the downfall of even the best Business Continuity Plan (we’ve addressed that issue in an early blog).  Sometimes it’s not the overt assumptions we make (“All critical IT systems will be available within 4 hours of the disruption.“) but the ones we don’t realize we’ve made that may jeopardize our…

The Myth of the RTO

This is the 1st in a series of articles examining the “myths” of today’s Business Continuity Management industry.  In a standard, methodology-driven BCM program, much of the industry follows the RA-BIA-Strategy-Plan Development cookie-cutter path, assuming that of all of these will lead to a viable and sustainable Business Continuity Planning…

Automating NIMS ICS for Efficient Incident Response

When a disruptive incident impacts critical national or regional infrastructure, or when public safety is at stake, multiple emergency agencies are often involved in the response. Those responders could be from federal or state agencies as well as local teams of EMT’s, police, firefighters and other volunteers.  Emergency response organizations…