DISASTER RECOVERY 
JOURNAL

P. O. Box 510110
St. Louis, MO 63151
(314) 894-0276 
Fax: (314) 894-7474
Internet www.drj.com 
E-mail drj@drj.com

PUBLISHER &
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Richard L. Arnold, CBCP
richard@drj.com

SENIOR EDITOR
Janette Ballman
janette@drj.com

MANAGING EDITOR
Jon Seals
jon@drj.com

COPY EDITORS
Richard Sandhofer
richards@drj.com
Pamela Clifton
pamelaclifton@hotmail.com

ADVERTISING 
Robert Arnold
bob@drj.com

_____________

Corporate

President/CEO
Richard L. Arnold, CBCP
richard@drj.com

Vice President 
Robert Arnold
bob@drj.com

CONFERENCE COORDINATOR
Patti Fitzgerald, CBCP
patti@drj.com

CONFERENCE REGISTRAR
Merce Knese
mercedes@drj.com

CIRCULATION
Laura Baugh
laurab@drj.com

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Jeff Dato, MBCP, KPMG
John Jackson, IBM
Edward S. Devlin, E.S. Devlin & Associates
James Hammill, CBCP, JMH Consulting Inc.
Pat McAnally, SunGard Availability Services
Brian Turley, Strohl Systems
Belinda Wilson, Hewlett-Packard


INTERNATIONAL
CONTACTS
England: Thom Hetherington
Business Continuity 
Phone: 0161-237-1007
thomh@tempus.demon.co.uk

Australia: Anthony J. Harvey
Journal of Business Continuity
Phone: 0011-613-953-0055-8
fax: 0011-613-953-0528
sector@notability.com.au

Japan: Shinji Hosotsubo
Quake Japan Co., Ltd.
Phone: 03-3215-2880
fax: 03-3215-2881

Brazil: Jose Carlos Ferreira
Disaster Recovery Mercosul
Phone: 55 11 3666-9506
conc2000@uol.com.br
www.drms.com.br

Click Here for a Printable Version

How Many ‘Wake-up Calls’ Are Necessary

by Richard L. Arnold, CBCP

It has been more than two years since the Sept. 11 terrorist events shocked us all. Immediately following that tragic disaster, everyone was on high alert and the business continuity industry was bustling. Though this is still an active business, I have noticed a new trend – complacency.
The numerous high alerts and false alarms have sent many in the industry into a state of denial. I have heard “It won’t happen again,” many times over the past few months. While I am glad no further terrorist events have occurred on American soil and shaken this industry, I am saddened by the return of this “head-in-the-sand” attitude.
Recent terrorist events worldwide, including the bomb blasts in Madrid, Spain, should serve as a wake-up call to us all. We can never be too secure.
I have seen much of the complacency come from upper management as they struggle with tight budgets. Money that was pumped into business continuity budgets within the past two years is now being withdrawn. While I understand that all departments are feeling the belt tightening, I am afraid the business continuity industry may suffer the greatest blows of all.
We are an industry that has struggled to gain respect for many years. In times of crisis, we are the first to be called upon. But on a day-to-day basis, it is easy to let business continuity and disaster recovery slip to the backburner.
Are all the bases covered? Most executives would say, “Yes.” But the practitioners in the industry know that is not true. There are always new concerns, new risks and new technology to consider and plan.
Just this week I was reading about a couple of threats that many may not have considered, but they do fall under the realm of business continuity planning.
The first is e-mail spoofing. This dangerous trend has the potential to affect all businesses. It is a trick used often by “spammers” to send e-mail anonymously. All it takes is a simple adjustment in your e-mail software, and it is possible to pretend to be anyone. This method is also a way to anonymously spread Internet viruses and worms. Business continuity planners need to be aware of this danger and add it to the list of risks for which to prepare.
Another danger to companies is the simple task of opening the mail. Since 9/11 and the anthrax attacks that occurred right after, incoming mail has become a big vulnerability for all businesses. The recent Ricin incidents at the U.S. Capitol reinforce how dangerous incoming mail can be.
There are now a whole new set of guidelines that are recommended when opening incoming mail. Are you doing all you can do to protect your company? Many state government offices require only pre-qualified personnel – wearing non-porous gloves – have access to the mail in an enclosed area. Once the mail has been determined to be safe, only then is it distributed throughout the office.
Who would have thought such simple tasks as opening an envelope or sending an e-mail could turn into vulnerabilities for businesses? It proves my point that we can never be too safe. There is never a time for complacency in our industry.
Our recent Orlando conference, Spring World 2004 was a great success! This conference was our 30th conference in 16 years for DRJ and it was a top-rated event for all our attendees. We recognized some of the industry pioneers at this show. I am delighted to know there have been so many long-standing business continuity planners who continue to be great contributors. To read more about Spring World 2004, see page 62-65.
I look forward to seeing you at our next conference, Fall World 2004 in San Diego. In the meantime, keep researching those risks and we will all work together on getting business continuity the respect – and funding – it deserves.

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