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Attainium's Business Continuity and Tabletop Exercise INSIGHTS

Attainium Insights, short, practical observations and examples drawn from real-world tabletop exercises and business continuity planning.

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Flu and Business Continuity

Flu season is creeping up on us and that means employees are home sick or slowed down at the office by flu symptoms. There does not seem to be any flu pandemic on the near horizon, so at least we don't have that to worry about this year, but experts seem to think that a pandemic is coming (It is about 100 years since the Spanish flu epidemic killed millions worldwide). We need to ensure that we have plans in place to help prevent the spread of flu in the workplace. But we also need to be thinking long-term and look at how we should update our business continuity plans to help us deal with whatever is ahead.

Holiday Parties

With Christmas less than 50 days away, many employers' thoughts turn to holiday parties. At first glance, you might say, "What do holiday parties have to do with business continuity?" But think about it... many of the holiday activities both in the workplace and outside it can create risky situations (food poisoning, sexual harassment, drunken driving) that might end in liability for your company. And liabilities can endanger your bottom line. These articles were chosen to help you avoid potentially litigious and unsafe situations.

After a Disaster...

Most of us have planned carefully for all the things that can go wrong and have plans in place to mitigate the effects of various disasters. But have you thought about the period after the disaster is over? Do you know what you are going to do to overcome the challenge of insufficient funding while the business gets back on its feet? What about recovering records? And getting employees back to work if the workplace is gone? These articles might help you consider what must be done right after the disruption but before things are back to whatever passes for normal at that point.

Dynamic Business Continuity Planning

By now, you no doubt have a business continuity plan. When, however, did you last review it? Update it? We have to remember that a BCP is not a static thing; it is a dynamic plan that has to change with changes in the organization. If you haven't reviewed your plan lately, these articles can help you incorporate newer threats into your old plan.

Risk Assessment and Management

Today, more than ever before, risk assessment and management are critical functions in every organization. We've said before that you cannot plan for every contingency, but you should be aware of the most critical risks facing your organization. Since you created your business continuity plan, have you reviewed and updated the risks you face? No? Review these articles to help you reconsider whether you've covered everything you should.

Crisis Response & Communication

When dealing with communicating in a crisis, the first concerns should be to respond quickly, accurately and consistently. Obviously, the best approach is to have a plan to work from before the crisis hits. This will shorten your response time and enable everyone to hit the ground running. It's also important to ensure that everyone knows what's going on and what to say or not say in any situation. Take a look at these articles to see if your plans for crisis response are everything they need to be.

Cyber Security Awareness

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), an annual campaign to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. This is especially relevant after the recent hack of Equifax and other large companies. What are you doing to help make your employees more aware of cybersecurity practices? Do you offer regular training? Take a look at these articles, all of which are focused on ways to increase employees’ awareness of and participation in cybersecurity.

Fire Preparedness

October is National Fire Prevention Month, and Fire Prevention Week this year is the week of Oct. 8. This year's theme is "Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!" More than likely, fire risk and prevention are part of your business continuity plan, but, if you haven't covered everything you should, these articles can help you improve your plan.

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