October 31, 2007
These NewsBriefs are produced and delivered weekly by
Attainium to keep our friends and clients
current on topics relating to Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Crisis Management.
Not only is exercising or testing your business continuity or disaster recovery plan a good idea,
it's also a legal requirement for some industries. And some insurance companies now are requiring
that you not only have a plan but that you test it. If all of that isn't enough to convince you,
the articles below have lots of reasons to support the need to exercise your plan.
What goes into a Disaster Recovery plan test?(Item #1)
Testing the plan without disrupting your
business may seem daunting, but in fact you don't have to actually go through the process of actually
shutting the system down. (Item #2)
Management can't rely on a business continuity program if employees are unaware
of their response and recovery strategies. (Item #3)
Exercising and testing plans is without a doubt, the correct way to go. (Item #4)
This article captures thoughts, observations and industry best practices regarding
plan testing. (Item #5)
Read one woman's experience when she swapped her Marks and Spencer suit and Calvin Klein
handbag for combats and a rucksack in a Red Cross training exercise. (Item #6)
As always, we look forward to hearing about your concerns
with regards to business continuity. If you have a topic
you'd like to see covered, please email me at
bmellinger@attainium.net
Best Regards,
Bob Mellinger
President
Attainium Corp
Quote of the Week
"The safety policy and procedures were in place: the practice was deficient."
- Lord Cullen -
Articles
1. Testing Your Disaster Recovery Plan: It's One Thing To Have It, But It's Critical To Test It
Realistically, you can't be confident that your DR plan, systems, and processes will work unless you test them.
It requires management and staff taking time away from focusing on profit in order to test something that they hope never happens.
http://www.processor.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles%2Fp2916%2F21p16%2F21p16.asp
2. Test for the worst
It's important not only that individual pieces work but that everything works together
and that systems can recover to the exact state where they were at a specific time.
And no business continuity plan is complete that doesn't consider suppliers and
business partners' ability to recover.
http://www.itworldcanada.com/Pages/Docbase/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=idgml-928f547d-57ba-41e0-b80e-c040c1242be4&Portal=448d158c-d857-4785-b759-ffa1c005933c&ParaStart=0&ParaEnd=15&direction=next&News=Daily+ITwire&Next=Next
3. Designing a business continuity training program to maximize value and minimize cost
Business continuity training and awareness programs have the potential to deliver significant value across the entire organization.
An effective training and awareness program directly correlates to the ability to recover effectively and in a timely manner.
But how can an organization realize this significant value?
http://www.continuitycentral.com/feature0483.htm
Read the complete white paper:
http://www.continuitycentral.com/bctrainingandawareness.pdf
4. Testing your contingency plans, successfully
While having contingency plans is both an important investment and a corporate governance matter, knowing how to apply them
holistically is fundamental to establishing their worth. Therefore, regular testing should be seen as a prudent measure
for all staff, and an overt expression that the organization takes the matter seriously.
http://www.continuitycentral.com/feature0315.htm
5. Business Continuity Plan Testing: Considerations and Best Practices
An ever-growing number of organizations have invested heavily in business continuity management and now face the daunting task
of validating the plans created by their organizations and training their recovery personnel to use the new documents.
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1074463528
6. A challenging weekend in the life of a business continuity manager
A business continuity manager reflects on lessons learned from leaving the office and taking part
in the British Red Cross Disaster Response Challenge.
http://www.continuitycentral.com/feature0510.htm
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