Perhaps it’s the longer days or the warmer temperatures. Summer changes how we perceive our world. Sunny days and warm evenings generate idyllic visions of beaches, exotic travel, cool mountain breezes, holidays and vacations. At work, there is a general feeling that things have slowed down. Perhaps they have, but unlike the days before air-conditioning, it’s not because of the heat. It’s an illusion generated by the lack of activity – activity impacted by those who are out on holiday or vacation.
In some industries business volume may slow with the season (some manufacturers may even close down for an extended holiday). But the risks our businesses face do not recede just because it is summer. Depending on your geographic location, summertime business risks – especially the natural kind – may increase.
With summer comes Hurricane season on the American coasts. Dry weather presages wildfire season in forested regions. Lack of rain impacts water usage in drought-stricken areas. Tornadoes proliferate across the plains states of the US. Typhoons, monsoons and flash flooding threaten vast areas of the Pacific Rim, South Asia and parts of the northern hemisphere.
Hackers, thieves and the other scoundrels behind the increasing number of data breaches, ransom attacks and denials of services don’t hibernate during the summer. When summer vacations shrink the ranks of corporate IT Security guardians, those nefarious cyber-criminals assume they have a less vigilant field in which to operate.
Are you truly prepared to respond to a business disruption during the summer months – when critical responders – members of Technical and Business Continuity Recovery Teams are off taking R&R at the beach, in the mountains, exploring new sights or simply taking a holiday from the day-to-day office grind? If you haven’t assigned critical Recovery tasks to Teams (as opposed to individuals), the lack of availability of those individuals with specific skill sets may make Recovery difficult – if not impossible.
We may perceive that Summer has a slower pace, that it’s a time when we can relax and catch up on those ‘nice to do’ tasks we’ve been putting off. In actuality, the risks our organizations face during the summer months aren’t lessened. In fact, some of them may increase. While we all look forward to our summer holidays, those months are not times to let our Business Continuity guard down. We must maintain the same level of vigilance we do the rest of the year.
But we can lessen the risks if we prepare in advance. Make sure our Plans are up to date. Make certain our Emergency preparations (for hurricanes, tornadoes and monsoons) are ready to implement. And by ensuring that the viability of our Plan execution depends on Teams with the necessary skill sets – not on individuals who may be relaxing somewhere with drink in hand when the unexpected happens.
Enjoy the summer. Just don’t let your guard down.
