Disaster Recovery Journal- Volume 18, Issue 1 - Winter 2005 Issue

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Winter 2005 Issue

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

EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER
Richard L. Arnold, CBCP
richard@drj.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jon Seals
jon@drj.com

SENIOR EDITOR
Janette Ballman
janette@drj.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Ed Pearce, CBCP
ed@drj.com

ASSISTANT EDITOR
Pamela Clifton
pamelaclifton@hotmail.com

COPY EDITORS
Jim Hammill, CBCP
Richard Sandhofer
richards@drj.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
Mike Croy, Forsythe
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
Japan: Shinji Hosotsubo
Crisis Management and Preparedness Organization
Phone: 03-3519-6270
fax: 03-3519-6255
hosotsubo@cmpo.org
Brazil: José Carlos Ferreira
Disaster Recovery Mercosul
Phone and fax: 011-3666-9506
jocaff@uol.com.br

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Facing Disasters, Dilemmas in 2004

By RICHARD L. ARNOLD, CBCP

As a new year arrives, I have been taking stock of the previous year and the contributions that have been made to the business continuity field. The year 2004 was certainly a busy one in this industry.

Numerous natural disasters made the headlines and captured the attention of business continuity professionals around the world. One major story was the 2004 hurricane season. As we all know, it was a record-breaking year for these monster storms. Florida and other southern states were severely hit by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. In total, more than $20 billion in damage was reported.

The economic impact is still being felt, especially regarding tourism and citrus production. While natural disasters captured the headlines, there were plenty of other developments in continuity planning. Great strides have been made in data storage and protection, notification, and communication. New technologies and greater awareness have allowed innovations to take place in all of these areas and more.

A few hot topics I observed during the past year included the importance of protecting e-mail and Internet connections. These tools are vital in today’s competitive world. Companies cannot afford to lose their communication methods nor can they tolerate having sites go down. The cost of downtime can be enormous.

Security issues were also a main topic the past year. Though the U.S. was spared any major terrorism attacks during 2004, terrorist strikes around the world kept us on alert. Incidents in Russia involving the downing of planes and the seize of a school were just two of the high-profile attacks that occurred.

Progress was also made during the past year in merging the many facets of business continuity. The industry is continuing to define the roles of emergency responders, IT, network managers and others, and mesh their duties to provide total enterprise protection.

The year 2004 also saw the emergence and continuation of regulations and compliance issues. Continuity planners dealt with the implementation of certain sections of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 as well as continued compliance with HIPAA regulations.
Many of these trends are sure to continue in 2005 and new ones will emerge. Michael Croy of Forsythe has written an excellent study of the upcoming trends. The article can be found on page 16. In it, you will find discussion of trends that have been established and those that are emerging.

One trend that I know will continue in 2005 is the strong offerings at our DRJ conferences. Spring World 2005 is set for March 6-9 in Orlando, Florida.
You will find we cover far more than just disaster recovery. We have sessions targeted to security, IT, communications, terrorism, emergency response, insurance, natural disasters, healthcare, human resources, legal issues and much more. These sessions are designed for planners of all experience levels, so you are sure to find solutions for your needs.

In addition, we are adding a new feature to our lineup for Spring World 2005 – an Advanced Networking Session. This session will focus on issues relevant to continuity planners with seven or more years of experience. This session is limited to 150; don’t miss your chance to network with other advanced planners. Share concerns, find solutions and discuss the upcoming trends!

There are already more than 571 registered attendees for Spring World 2005. Register now to take advantage of early registration discounts. Our conference registration costs $100 - $300 less than other comparable seminars. Enjoy the low price and find high quality offerings!

Visit our website www.drj.com for a full listing of conference proceedings and registration information. See you in Orlando!