Disaster Recovery Journal - Summer 2003 Issue- EAB

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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
Patrick Corcoran, IBM Bus. Cont. & Rec. Services
Jeff Dato, MBCP, KPMG
Edward S. Devlin, E.S. Devlin & Associates
Judith Eckles, SunGard Availability Services
James Hammill, CBCP, JMH Consulting Inc.
John Jackson, Independant

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

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Are We Ready For CCOs?

By JEAN BENNAJMA, CBCP

To whom it may concern:
Yes, I would like to be considered for the newly created position of “CCO,” chief continuity officer, for your organization. As an executive with more than 20 years of experience in this niche, I have extensive experience in business continuity and disaster recovery planning along with crisis management and incident command center management. Yes, I definitely have true hands-on disaster recovery experience. I have the war stories and even a few battle scars to prove it.
Well, to give you a quick overview of my experience in this field, I have both developed and managed the BCP process as well as the enterprise-wide program for several companies. I have designed and implemented comprehensive enterprise-wide business continuity programs and processes for large Fortune 500 corporations that are still in existence today. I have successfully recovered major corporations through business disruptions including hurricanes, earthquakes, the L.A. riots, fires, security breaches, and from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Most any type of disaster, I’ve managed through it while experiencing it firsthand. While I don’t mean to brag, I have been told that I am the unsung hero for most every company I have worked for.
With respect to my planning experience, I have been down in the planning weeds as it were. I started out as a planner and then was promoted to a disaster recovery manager in this field. I have also enjoyed a successful run in BCP consulting. Over the past 20 years, I’ve successfully coordinated integrated recovery efforts involving both business and technical areas.
Well, let’s see, my other responsibilities have included several aspects of risk management such as ensuring the security of shareholder investments, not to mention ensuring that our corporate officers don’t get personally sued because I have a BCP plan in place and it was tested. I have also been responsible for reviewing the business interruption insurance and working with risk management to mitigate risk through several avenues. I have been responsible for assisting employees in need. As you probably know, if you don’t take care of your employees at the time of disaster, how can you expect them to take care of you and help resume your business?
In addition, I’ve been responsible for resuming business at alternate sites, making decisions to spend dollars in support of the community during a crisis, wisely spending money and budgeting for corporate recovery solutions, building internal work area recovery sites in seven states and in South America, dealing with the press, and coordinating the internal workings of my organization to affect a smooth transition from disaster mode back to normal mode.
One of the keys to my success has been the ability to manage up the corporate ladder as well as down the corporate ladder both during the planning process and ATOD.
Well, the most recent project I have been assigned by executive management is to mitigate risk related to terrorist activities, as the company I currently work for is international. It’s been interesting working with the security and life safety folks in other countries.
Oh, I know you’re probably thinking that I’m overqualified because you don’t experience that many business disruptions, but disasters and other types of risk to your organization are on the rise. You may not even realize you are at risk.
Just look at the statistics. Did you know that 43 percent of businesses that experience a disaster never reopen? And that 29 percent of those businesses that do re-open will close within two years of experiencing a local disaster? And businesses on average lose 40 percent of daily revenues due to loss of their information systems? But I’m sure you already checked into the statistics since you do have this position open. To whom should I forward my resume to in order to be considered for this position?

The above letter is, of course, a fantasy. For every business continuity professional, it would be a dream for a CCO position to come to fruition. There is no chief continuity officer position to my knowledge, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be or that there will not be one someday, given the world’s heightened awareness of terrorism and the constant threat of a disaster hanging over everyone’s heads.
As long as we have allowed ourselves the liberty to dream a little, what would the duties of the CCO be?
Well, for starters how about, “To be responsible for the continuity, integrity and availability of key business processes on a global basis for the entire company?” And, perhaps, “To plan and implement contingencies and responses to deal with resumption of business as a result of any threats, risks, and attacks on business?”
Until this fantasy becomes a reality, we will live with business continuity planning as it exists in the corporate world today.

Jean Bennajma, CBCP, is a senior vice president and director of business continuity services for Business Pathfinders Inc. Bennajma is also a member of the DRJ Editorial Advisory Board.

To comment on this article, go to 1603-eab at www.drj.com/feedback.