July 29, 2009
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.
Whether you're a facility owner, manager, or tenant, dealing with issues like physical security, safety
and infrastructure protection is an overwhelming task. We hope that this week's articles may help you carry out
your responsibilities more efficiently and effectively.
This paper examines how availability management, disaster recovery and business continuity support one another
and offers insights to help you succeed at all of them.
(Item #1)
This guideline outlines eight main categories of physical security measures used to protect facilities.
(Item #2)
NIST has published its recent study on stairwell evacuation; the findings are here.
(Item #3)
Following a specific process can go a long way towards getting security measures in place.
(Item #4)
A new security product for large areas where it's difficult, and sometimes impractical, to install fences
or constantly patrol is the topic of
(Item #5).
Prudent professionals must ensure that their properties, employees, and guests are well protected and prepared for any contingency.
(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
[email protected]
Best Regards,
Bob Mellinger
President
Attainium Corp
Quote of the Week
"But a lot of businesses out there don't see the return on investment,
they look at it as a liability,
and until they can understand that proactive security actually returns,
gives them a return on investment,
it's still a hard sell for people.
- Kevin Mitnick -
Articles
1. High Availability: Is It Sufficient for Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity?
Business and information technology (IT) executives are increasingly accountable for business continuity planning
because of a confluence of forces: regulatory mandates, rising awareness of best practices and high-profile disasters
that have drawn attention to risk. While concepts such as "high availability," "continuous availability," "disaster
recovery" and "business continuity" have been around for years, today they merit a more discerning look.
http://www.stratustechnologies.com/download/index.cfm/whitep/documents/HAandBusinessContinuity.pdf
2. Facilities Physical Security Measures Guideline
ASIS International has released a new 'Facilities Physical Security Measures Guideline'.
The guideline assists in the identification of physical security measures that can be applied at facilities
to safeguard or protect an organization's assets-people, property and information.
http://www.asisonline.org/guidelines/ASIS_GDL_FPSM-2009_Item_1854.pdf
3. NIST stairwell evacuation study published
Most of the time, we use the stairs in buildings-especially in high-rise structures-only as a back-up
for faster elevators and escalators, but during a fire or other emergency, stairs become our primary passage
to survival. In a new study, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) examined
what we know about how stairs work as an emergency evacuation route and found that the answer is-not nearly enough.
http://www.continuitycentral.com/news04482.html
4. Do You Have A Security Blueprint?
Even for those facilities with a chief security officer (CSO) and proprietary security personnel in place,
facility managers may be called upon to assist CSOs and their staff during a crisis situation. So, whether
a facility professional is tasked with larger security responsibilities or just needs to play a supporting role,
knowledge is still paramount.
http://www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/tfm_08_03_special.php
5. Advance made in intruder detection
A remarkable new invention from Tel Aviv University - a network of tiny sensors as small as dewdrops
called 'Smart Dew' - will foil even the most determined intruder. Scattered outdoors on rocks, fence posts
and doorways, or indoors on the floor of a facility, the dewdrops are a completely new and cost-effective
system for safeguarding and securing wide swathes of property.
http://www.continuitycentral.com/news04481.html
6. Auditing Contingency Plans
Implementing a comprehensive contingency management plan may seem daunting, but it is simply an exercise
in commitment-with continuous assessment and revision. Where many FMs err is when they place the plan up
on a shelf, never to be looked at again...until years later during a crisis, when they find the plan
to be obsolete and useless.
http://www.continuitycentral.com/feature0521.htm
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